


Victoria Grimes V: Journey

by bamby0304



Series: Victoria Grimes [5]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon Universe, Character Death, F/M, Fluff, Sexual Assault, Smut, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-11 22:25:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 90,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16861330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bamby0304/pseuds/bamby0304
Summary: Terminus. It’s not the sanctuary they’d hoped it would be. Now Vickie and the other’s are stuck, out in the world again with no real hope of going on. Can they trust the new people they meet? Or will they be lead into another trap? Will they rescue Beth? Or will they lose more of their family? And how will the group deal when they’re given the chance to be normal once more?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an old series with multiple chapters... it would take me forever to upload each individually, so the following piece is two long chapters. If you want to read it in separate parts you can find it on my ff.net blog (under the same name).

**Chapter 1**

**Friends and Foes**

**VPOV**

He had come out of nowhere. I should have been more alert. But I was tired and starving, and to tell you the truth my shoulder had been hurting more and more ever since we'd left the prison. Zach had been right when he said I should take it slow, but it was too late now... and now, he was gone.

So here I stood, hands in the air as I looked to the man in front of me, holding Aly against him with a gun to her head.

"Vickie." Aly cried, frozen still as the man's grip tightened.

"Don't move!" he yelled at me. "I'll kill her." his southern accent was thick. Houdini growled beside me. "Shut it up." he yelled.

"Down, boy." I told Houdini, who calmed, but still snarled at the man.

"Hands on your head. Now!" doing as I was told, I put my hands on my head, watching as he gestured for me to walk into the run down cabin. "You try anything, and the girl gets a bullet. The dog too."

Giving him one last look I did as he said. I had no choice.

**RPOV**

" _They seemed nice enough, but I was ready to go." Abraham chuckled. "We just got here, but, damn, it was time to go. When I told them about D.C., a wink and a nod from the head asshole in charge, they pulled their guns and it was right back to our regularly scheduled shitstorm."_

We knew the only way out of the trouble we were in was to fight. They may have the numbers and weapons, but we were resourceful and they made a big mistake putting us all together.

_"Before they put you in here, you didn't see Tyreese?" Sasha asked._

_"No." Michonne answered simply._

_"Good."_

We used Hershel's watch to cut stakes out of the wooden panels going up the wall of the cart. Shoelaces, zips, belt buckles. Anything we could find and use, we grabbed, getting ready to push through and run.

_"Black car with a white cross painted on it. I tried to follow. I tried." Daryl told Maggie._

_"But she's alive?"_

_"She's alive."_

We could hear some outside, Daryl stood by the door keeping an eye out just in case they headed our way.

"A'right." he spoke up. "Got four of them pricks coming our way."

I stood up, turning to everyone. "You all know what to do. Go for their eyes first." I told them, moving towards the door. "Then their throats."

"Put your backs to the walls at either end of the car. Now!" someone ordered form outside. We stayed where we were, by the door, ready to attack.

There were footsteps on the roof. A door on the ceiling opened before a smoke bomb was thrown in.

"Move!" Abraham yelled before we all rushed to get away from the bomb.

Next thing I know, someone opened the door and started dragging some of us out while we coughed and struggled. I managed to grab the stake I'd been cutting before hands held me, pulling me out and throwing me on to the ground. I hit my head on the hard floor and looked up at the man who'd pulled me out. The last thing I saw was his foot coming down towards me...

**VPOV**

We had tied us up and set us in the cabin, leaving Houdini tied to a tree outside by his lead. I wasn't sure what he was going to do with us, but I was scared. I was scared for Aly, most, who was leaning against me, sobbing quietly.

Suddenly the door opened and I moved right away, blocking Aly, putting myself in front of her for protection. But Houdini came running in, rushing towards us before the guy followed, with people behind him, a gun to his head. I couldn't believe my eyes...

"Oh my, God." I smiled up at Carol and Tyresse, who was holding Judith. "Oh my, God."

"Vickie?" Carol looked to us, still keeping the gun to the guys head.

Tyreese moved quickly, setting Judith down in a box before he rushed towards us, cutting the zip-ties around our wrists and feet. Aly grabbed on to Houdini, the two of them in the corner where Judith lay in a box.

I moved past Tyreese, heading for the guy before throwing my fist back and smacking him right in the jaw. "Asshole." I spat.

…

 

"They attacked us. We're just holding them." the guy had woken up a moment ago, and he wouldn't stop talking.

Carol and Ty told me how the others were at Terminus, being held captive. That was enough to get me going. After having a few pecans they had, I was ready to go get our family.

"We don't believe you." Carol told him as we grabbed a few things.

The two of us were going to head out. I trusted Ty would keep Aly and Judy safe. And with Houdini things should be fine.

"Who else do you have?" I asked, moving to kneel in front of him, my knife pointed at his face. "You know their names? Did they have anything special on them? A watch? A crossbow? Anything like that?"

"We just have the boy with the hat and the girl with the sword. That's it." he answered, voice shaking a little as he looked at my blade. "We're just protecting ourselves."

"Now why do I think you're lying." I shook my head. "Aly, turn away and block your ears, okay sweetie."

He shook his head. "Please, no. There's a bunch of us out there in six different directions. There was a lot of gunfire back home. We need to set off our charges all at one to confuse the dead ones away. That's good for you, too."

"Vickie." Carol's voice told me to stop. Sighing I stood backing up as she spoke to the guy. "No, it isn't. There's a heard heading towards Terminus right now. We don't want to confuse them away. We're gonna need their help." she told him, pulling a bag over her shoulder.

"It's a compound. They'll see you coming." he warned. "If you even make it that far with all the cold bodies heading over."

"Don't worry." I shrugged. "I know how to deal with that." Carol and I turned then, moving to walk out the door.

"Wait." Ty grabbed Carol's arm, looking to both of us. "How you gonna do this?"

Carol and I shared a look, both of us knowing exactly what we had to do. Looking back at Ty, she answered. "We're gonna kill people." she told him simply before we walked out.

 

...

 

Even though I'd had a few pecans, which wasn't enough to bring me back to full energy, I was pumped with adrenaline. I was ready to slaughter everyone and anyone who was keeping my family against their will.

Carol had killed a walker, both of us throwing on sheets we'd cut hole in for our heads before covering them with the blood and guts of the walker. We rubbed dirt all over our hands and faces, wherever you could see our bare skin. Once we were covered, we moved on, heading towards Terminus.

"Put your back to the walls at either end of the car. Now!" we heard someone yell as we neared a fence.

There were walkers behind us, but they hadn't taken any notice of us. We smelt like them, and as long as we moved slowly, and didn't bring attention to ourselves, they'd leave us alone.

There was a bang, causing Carol and I to pause for a moment. Once we were sure no one had spotted us, she turned to me, giving a nod before we started moving again. We got to the fence, looking down, seeing people being dragged out of a train car.

"No!" I gasped, keeping my voice low. Bob, Glenn, dad and Daryl were pushed to the ground, tied and gagged.

Carol's hand rested on my shoulder, keeping me down. "We'll help them." she told me. "We'll get them out."

Moving along the fence, I followed Carol as she looked to see what the set up of Terminus was like. When she stopped she turned to me, gesturing to a gas tank.

Setting the bag down, she pulled out her gun that had been under the sheet she was wearing. "There are people." she told me. "And a herd."

She put the gun down, setting it against the fence before putting the end of the firework in to. I handed her my gun, watching as she shot at the tank three times before we could see some kind of gas coming out of it. I pulled out a lighter from the bag, leaning forward to lit the fuse of the firework, while Carol put her gun down and turned away, blocking her ears. Once the fuse was lit I took a step back, turning and ducking, blocking my ears as well before we waited. It didn't take long.

The firework went off, flying through the air before hitting the tank, causing the gas tank to go off.

Carol nudged me, nodding. "Okay. Let's move."

**RPOV**

The sound of a saw buzzing had me waking up from being knocked out. I was being dragged into a large room, two men standing by a table, sawing something apart. Three metal bin were against the wall across from me, they read 'BURN', 'FEED', and 'WASH'. I was placed in front of a metal trough the saw still buzzing. Gag around my mouth, hands and feet now zip tied, I looked over as more people were placed down. Bob on my right, Daryl, Glenn and four others on my left. I looked down the line, seeing the guy from the house Carol and I had gone too... I guess he had made it after all...

"Okay, hold up." one of the man spoke before I heard the sound of blades being sharpened. "All right." he stopped sharpening the knives before the two of them moved to stand behind us, starting at the other end where the guy I recognized was kneeling.

We all watched as one of the men swung a bat before grabbing his hair and slicing the guys throat, dropping him so he leaned over the trough, his blood pouring into it, running towards us.

That's when everyone began to panic more, struggling against their restrains, screams muffled by their gags, as they realized we were all next...

One by one the men moved over the line, killing the others who were kneeling.

Using my fingers, I managed to get my stake out, hiding it while I waited. Ready to attack when the time came.

"Hey guys." Gareth walked in. "What were your shot counts?"

"Thirty eight." the guy with a bat answered before swinging and hitting the guy next to Glenn. The knife sliced the man's throat, and we knew Glenn was next.

"Hey!" Gareth called, right before the bat could be swung again. "Your shot count?" he asked the one with the knife.

"Crap, man. I'm sorry. It's my first roundup." he answered.

"After you're done here, go back to your point and count the shells." Gareth told him. "Kaylee won't be gathering them until tomorrow."

"Hey!" Bob yelled through his gag. "Hey, let me talk to you."

Ignoring him, Gareth gestured to all of us that were kneeling, dead and alive. "Four from A, four from D?"

"Yeah." the bat guy answered.

"Hey, let me talk to you for a minute." Bob wouldn't give up. "Let me talk to you for a minute. Let me talk to you for a minute."

Gareth pulled his gag down. "What?"

Breathing heavily, Bob started. "Don't do this. We can fix this."

"No, you can't." Gareth moved to gag him again.

But Bob just went on. "You don't have to do this!" he stopped him, Gareth stepping back. "We told you there's a way out of all of this." he breathed heavily. "You just have to take a chance. We have a man who know how to stop it. He has a cure. We just have to get him to Washington. You don't have to do this, man." he repeated. "We can put the world back to the way to was."

Gareth just watched him, bored. I wouldn't be surprised if he'd heard this before. People say anything to save themselves. "Can't go back, Bob." he moved forward.

"We can!" Bob yelled before the gag was over his mouth again. But he kept going, muffled. "You don't have to do it!"

Gareth moved to kneel in front of me now, taking my gag off. He sighed. "We saw you go into the woods with a bag and come out without it. I had to pull my spotters back before we could go look for it. What was in it?" I said nothing, just kept looking him right in the eyes. "You hid it, right? In case things went bad? Smart. Still, we'll find it. But it's too dangerous to go out there right now." he pulled out a knife, grabbing Bob, pulling him closer. His knife right at Bob's eye, he turned back to me. "What was in it? I'm curious. And it was a big bag." when I still didn't say anything he nodded to Bob. "You really gonna make me do this?"

"Well, let me take you out there." I offered. "I'll show you."

He shook his head. "Not gonna happen. This might." he moved the knife closer to Bob's eye.

"There's guns in it." I answered, not wanting to see my friend get hurt. "AK-47, .44 Magnum. Automatic weapons. Night scope. There's a compound bow and a machete with a red-red handle." I nodded. "That's what I'm gonna use to kill you."

He chuckled, letting Bob go and putting his knife away before putting my gag back on as he spoke. "You know, our friend out in the woods. He found a girl. Yeah... two actually, with a dog. One maybe five years old. The other though... she looks a lot like you..." he watched me carefully.

There was no doubt in my mind that he was talking about Vickie and there was no way he could just make something like that up. My heart began to race harder than it ever had before.

He nodded. "You're daughter, right? I wonder if she's got her dad's fight. Or maybe she'll be easy." he grabbed his knife, running his finger down the blood as he grinned at me. "She'll slice like butter... Taste like it too." he hummed. "Does get lonely these days though..."

Beside me Daryl struggled, breathing heavily as his anger built up. No one touched Vickie. If they did, they'd have to deal with me, Daryl and  _every_ one else.

Ignoring Daryl he kept his eyes on me. "Thanks for telling me Rick. I'll do you a favour now. I'll keep your daughter nice a warm. Keep her company." he stood, turning to his men. "You have two hours to get them on the dryers. Then we go back to public face. Now's the time we can get messy, but we need to dial it all in by sundown."

"Got it."

"Yes, sir."

Gareth turned, about to leave, when there were gunshots outside, coming from the distance. He pulled out his walkie. "Hey, Chuck?"

In the corner of my eye I could see the guy about to swing and hit Glenn. Before he could more shots were heard. Then out of nowhere, there was a loud explosion, causing the whole place to shake.

**DPOV**

Everyone had fallen to the ground once there was that explosion. Now we could hear people over Gareth's radio, people obviously panicked and confused. There was gunfire in the back ground going on, things going real bad.

"You stay here." Gareth told his men.

"Gareth, these guys aren't going-" the bat guy started.

"Stay here until I know what's happening!" Gareth yelled before he walked out.

I struggled against my ties, trying to do anything to get lose. If they had Vic, and she was out there, then she was in danger. No matter what all this commotion was, she was still in danger. These people. I didn't think there was anything they wouldn't do...

"So we just sit here?" the knife guy asked.

"We got a job to do." the other one answered moving to set us all up again.

The knife guy didn't listen, grabbing his walkie. "You there, Gareth?"

"He's busy."

"You smell the smoke? You hear the shots? He could be dead. The hell we're going here? The whole place could be going up."

"You went on one roundup and you blew protocol. We don't deal with security. That ain't our job. This is." bat guy tried to explain but the other once just turned and started to walk away. "Hey, look at me."

As the other guy turned, Rick got up, having somehow gotten out of his ties. He stabbed the guy in the throat with a stake- which is what he probably used to get free- before moving to the knife guy and killing him too.

"Rick!" Glenn called, muffled by his gag.

Rick turned moving towards us where he cut our restrains and helped get us free.

**CPOV**

Abraham hit his fists against the door. "What the hell is going on?"

"Something hit them." Michonne noted.

"Maybe our people got free." Sasha suggested before Eugene pushed past her and Tara.

"Excuse me." he moved to the door, holding the smoke bomb. Placing it down by the crack of the door.

"What the hell are you doing?" Rosita asked him.

"I might be able to use this shell to compromise the door. From the sound of things, there may not be anybody left to open it."

Tara cut him off from going on. "Eugene, I'm sorry, but shut up."

"Okay." he said simply.

"Hey." I moved forward, not wanting to hear any of them talk about the others and how they think they weren't coming back. They were. "My dad's gonna be back. They all are."

"They are." Maggie agreed. "And we need to get ready to fight our way out with them when they do."

**  
**

**Chapter 2**

**Reunited Once More**

**VPOV**

We walked with the herd, slowly but keeping an eye out just in case they realized we were human. Moving towards Terminus we could really see the damage the explosion had caused. Walkers lie dead on the floor, the gates down, a fire burning as other walkers moved through it attracted to the light.

As we entered Terminus, things looked bad. The people here, they had no chance against all the walkers. But I didn't care.

Carol grabbed my arm, pulling me towards a door before she lifted her gun. I looked to where she was aiming, seeing that there were a few people with guns up ahead. She took them down easily, but got the attention of a few walkers near us at the same time.

"Come on." she grabbed my arm once more, pulling me inside before we both closed the door.

**DPOV**

"They got problems. We get a chance." Rick noted.

"It sounded like a bomb." Glenn guessed as we all got up, moving to grab some weapons.

"Sounds like a damn war." I added.

"What the hell are these people?" Bob asked, looking to the body on the table they'd been sawing up earlier... Alex.

"They ain't people." I answered. They were animals. Monsters. Cannibals.

When we went to stab the men that were dead in the head, Rick stopped us. "Don't. Let them turn." he said before we rushed out of there, trying to find a way out.

We came to the butcher room, body parts hanging from chains in the roof, bits and pieces in bowls all over the place. It looked like a scene from a horror movie...

"Cross any of these people, you kill them." Rick told us. "Don't hesitate. They won't."

Moving through he room, we grabbed weapons, I opted for a pipe. The sound of yelling and screams caught our attention, heading for the door, we looked out the window of it, seeing a sea container with a few walkers banging against it. Something told me, there were people in there like we'd been in the train car.

"If we run, we can get by them." Rick noted. "They're distracted."

"We got to let those people out." Glenn argued. "That's still who we are. It's got to be."

Rick gave a short nod before opening the door, all four of us rushing out. Staying in formation, we headed for the container, the walkers moving towards us now. We cut them down fast, before using the container as a cover.

Glenn opened the door.

A man came running out. "We're the same!" he yelled, grabbing Glenn who pushed him off. He then grabbed Rick. "We're them!"

Rick pushed him. "Back off!"

The man just laughed. "We're the same!"

He was too far gone. They must have kept him for weeks, or months, all alone in there. He'd gone insane.

Suddenly, a walker came out of nowhere, grabbing him and biting into his weak. Glenn moved forward, killing them both with the bat he'd grabbed. I grabbed him, pulling him back before the sea container, covering him from the walkers as we all stayed there, quiet and unmoving. There were walkers everywhere now.

**VPOV**

Carol and I came to a room full of organised things. Toys, hats, clothes, jewelry, watches, weapons. Everything people would have been carrying with them when they came here before they were captured and eventually killed...

I caught sigh of a crossbow and my heart squeezed. I knew, without a doubt, that it was Daryl's. I'd seen it more times than I could count. It was like an extension of him. So I knew, I  _knew,_  it was his.

Grabbing it, I turned to see Carol as she lifted a watch off one of the tables. I recognized it as my dad's, the one he'd gotten from mum years ago.

"Ready?"

I gave a short nod. "Let's go."

**RPOV**

"We got to double back." Bob suggested, seeing that there were so many walkers.

"He's that way." I noted, speaking of Gareth. "We go back, we don't know where we are."

"We don't really have a choice, do we?" Daryl commented.

There were more snarls, and then gunshots, closer than the others. I watched as a group of people started to walk in a line, moving towards the walkers, guns up and shooting at the things, cutting them down.

This was our chance.

"Just wait here." I told them, moving towards the people.

"Rick. Rick!" I heard one of them calling, but I was already gone.

Using a car for cover, I looked at the side-view mirror that had fallen to the ground, to see where the people were. They moved forward, killing the walkers, and I stayed still, waiting for the right time as they passed.

A walker grabbed my shoulder, but before I could move, Daryl's pipe went though the head, killing it. The walker fell and we nodded at each other, Daryl now kneeling beside me.

Watching the people, the last of them walked past and I took the opportunity. Grabbing him, I stabbed him in the back, his finger pulling on the trigger, shooting as he fell to the ground. I grabbed the gun before he fell aiming and shooting at the people and walkers, killing them all before turning to make sure there was no one else coming.

When I knew I was clear, I reached to the man on the ground, grabbing his ammo. Standing, I nodded to Daryl before we both moved back to Glenn and Bob as more walker came to eat the people I'd just shot- some of them still alive.

I handed Bob a gun. "We don't have to double back."

**VPOV**

Carol walked into a room, but I stayed back, feeling as if someone was watching us. Gun raised, I scanned the area, holding back for a moment as she walked in.

"Drop your weapons and turn around."

I rushed into the room, candles set up everywhere making it creepy, with names written all over the place. But my attention was on the woman who held a gun up, aiming it at Carol's back.

"I want to see your face." she was pissed, but she hadn't noticed me yet. "Now!"

I lifted my gun, aiming it at her arm. The last thing I wanted was for her too shoot Carol. So, I took my shot, flinging the gun out of her hand. Carol rushed forward, kicking the gun out of the woman's reach and aiming her own gun at the woman as she lay on the ground, clutching her bleeding hand.

The woman sighed, looking up at us as I came to stand next to Carol. "The signs? They were real. It was a sanctuary. People came and took this place."

"Just tell us where-"

She cut Carol off, going on. "And they raped, and they killed, and they laughed over weeks! But we got out and we fought! We got it back! And we heard the message" she had a look in her eyes that set me on ease. "You're the butcher, or you're the cattle."

"The men they pulled from that train car, where are they?" Carol asked.

When the woman said nothing, I lifted my gun, shooting her in the leg. She yelled out in pain as I leaned over her. "Where are they!?"

Shaking her head she calmed herself before looking up into my eyes. "Now, point it at my head." she laughed. "You two could have been part of this. You could have listened to what the world is telling you."

"You lead people here and you take what they have and you kill them? Is that what this place is?" Carol asked.

"No, not at first. It's what it had to be. And we're still here."

Carol lowered her gun. "You're not here. Neither am I." nudging on my arm she nodded behind us to a door. "Come on."

Lowering my gun, I followed her as we backed up, moving to the door. The closer we got to it, the more the walkers behind it could be heard. It didn't take me long to realize what Carol had in mind. She opened the door and let the walkers in. They pushed past us, ignoring Carol and I because we still smelt like them, and there was a nice juicy, bleeding, helpless woman on the ground.

"No. No! No! God!" the woman yelled. "No! God! No!"

**CPOV**

We were all busy getting ready to fight, when Sasha spoke up, cutting through the silence.

"What's the cure, Eugene?" she asked.

"It's classified."

"We don't know what's gonna happen." Michonne noted.

Before she could go on, Abraham spoke up. "You leave him be."

"We need to keep working." Maggie told everyone.

"Yeah, but it's time to hear it." Sasha argued. "Cause we don't know what's coming next."

"What's next is we get out of this." Tara told her.

Eugene stopped working, turning to look at Sasha. "Even if I told you all, even if I provided step-by-step instructions complete with illustrations and a well-composed FAQ, and I went red ring, the cure would still die with me."

"I'm not gonna let that happen." Abraham reassured him.

Eugene shrugged."The best-case scenario, we step out into a hailstorm of bullets, fire and walkers. I'm not fleet of foot. I sure as hell can't take a dead one down with sharp buttons."

"Yeah, but we can. And we will." Michonne told him.

Sasha stood, sighing. "You don't owe us anything. Not yet. But we just want to hear it."

"You don't have to." Rosita joined in with backing Eugene up.

Giving in, Eugene finally gave us what we wanted. Standing, he sighed, starting. "I was part of a 10-person team at the Human Genome Project to weaponize diseases to fight weaponized diseases. Pathogenic microorganisms with pathogenic microorganisms. Fire with fire. Interdepartmental drinks were had. Relationships made. Information shared. I am keenly aware of all the details behind fail-safe delivery systems to kill every living person on the planet. I believe with a little tweaking on the terminals in D.C., we can flip the script. Take out every last dead one of them. Fire with fire." he nodded, giving a little grin. "All things being equal, it does sound pretty bad-ass."

"So let's get back to work." Maggie said, straight back to business mode.

Suddenly we herd the door latch being opened. We all stood, ready to defend before we were met by the bright light of day, my dad pulling the door open.

**RPOV**

I slid the train car door open. "Come on! We fight to the fence!" I yelled at the others, turning to shoot the walkers, helping Bob, Glenn and Daryl who were keeping them back.

"You do not leave his side!" I heard Abraham yell, but I was already moving.

"Carl!" my son jumped out of the cat, rushing towards me. Once he was at my side and everyone was out I looked to Daryl. "Let's go!" we moved on, following the others as we rushed to the fence.

I stayed back, shoot any walkers that got close, while the others jumped the fence.

Gareth and a few other people ran on the roof, aiming there guns at us. I shot them first, not giving them the chance to put their fingers on the trigger. They fell, either hit or hiding, but when I was sure they weren't getting up, and the others were over, I knew it was time.

"Let's go! Move!" Abraham called.

"Come on!" Maggie yelled.

Turning I moved to the fence where Daryl was climbing over. Abraham helped me next before coming over himself, the walkers pressing against the fence just as he landed on the ground.

**VPOV**

Carol and I had gotten out of Terminus unharmed. We'd managed to dump the walker blood covered sheets and clean off our faces before I started following some tracks, hoping they'd be our people's.

"Their fences are down. They'll run or die." we caught Maggie saying as we came to a stop, seeing our people gathered together.

I froze, seeing our family right in front of us... I just couldn't move. I couldn't make a sound. I was in shock.

Daryl turned his head then, his eyes landing on me as if he'd known I was there. Turning completely, he ran towards me, his arms wrapping me into a hug, holding my body against his as he buried his face in my neck. He lifted me off the ground, and I dropped everything, my arms wrapping around him.

I couldn't stop myself from crying, the tears rolling down my cheeks. "I thought you were dead." I told him, holding him just as tightly. "I thought they'd killed you."

He shook his head, pulling back. Without saying anything, he brought his lips to mine, kissing me tenderly. I could feel the relief he felt as he held me, not letting go.

"Vickie? Carol?"

I pulled away from Daryl slightly, looking over his shoulder to see the others moving our way. Tears still rolling down my cheeks, I dropped from Daryl's grasp, rushing towards my dad and Carl, throwing my arms around them as they held me too, all three of us falling to the ground, laughing and crying with joy.

Dad looked up, his eyes going from me to Carol. "Did you two do that?"

Carol nodded, and dad let go, moving to hug her. Carl took a step to the side, letting Maggie through, who didn't even give me a chance to stand up before she fell to her knees and pulled me into a hug, laughing as she held me tightly.

Another pair of arms wrapped around us as Glenn hugged me too, smiling widely at me.

"You have to come with us." Carol spoke.

I pulled back, turning to look at her. She was right, we couldn't stay here, there were people waiting for us. People I was sure the others would want to see.

**DPOV**

With Vic's hand in mine I knew now that I would never let her out of my sight. Never again. No matter what. It didn't matter anymore whether things looked too dangerous or risky. We were going to stick together.

Walking along the dirt path we followed Carol. Coming over a hill we could see a little cabin, Tyreese walking out of it and closing the door, Judith in his arms, Aly standing next to him with Houdini's collar in her hands.

I froze as Aly turned to look at us, her face lighting up with more happiness than I'd ever seen. "Daryl!" she cheered before she started to run towards me, Houdini right behind her.

I fell to my knees, opening my arms as she ran into me. I held her to my chest as her little hands wrapped around me.

Vic knelt beside us smiling, stroking Aly's hair. Our eyes locked, and I knew then that no moment in history would beat this. I'd never been happier.

**RPOV**

I dropped everything at the sight of Judith. Carl and I both ran as fast as we could, moving towards Tyreese as he held Judith in his arms. He handed her over and I fell to my knees, cradling her head to me as I cried with joy, Carl standing beside me as he looked down at his baby sister. We had thought we'd lost her forever. We had thought she was dead. But against all odds, here she was.

Looking over at the others, I watched as Sasha and Tyresse embraced as well, everyone so glad to be together again. My eyes landed on Vickie then, seeing her with Daryl who was holding Aly, Houdini beside them all wagging his tail happily.

I had all my kids back. We were all together again. We were family once more.

**VPOV**

Aly sat on the ground, Houdini beside her as she played with her two dolls. Daryl and I stood close by, his arms around me as we looked at each other. I just still couldn't believe he was standing in front of me...

"I thought I'd never see you again." I admitted.

"Can't get rid of me that easy, remember." he chuckled.

I sighed, resting my head against his chest. "I thought about you everyday. I tired to find you. But-"

"Hey." he cupped my cheek, lifting my head so I'd look at him again. "It don't matter. We're here now."

"I don't know if the fire's still burning." dad spoke up, looking towards Terminus, getting everyone's attention.

"It is." Carol answered.

Dad sighed, looking to the rest of us. "Yeah. We need to go."

"Yeah, but where?" Daryl asked as we stepped away from each other. He grabbed his crossbow, pulling it on to his shoulder.

"Somewhere far away from there." dad suggested, turning away from the smoke completely.

"Okay." I moved to Aly. "Come on. Time to go. Pass me the bag." I gestured to the bag next to her. It was light, only a few clothes and an empty gun, and two empty water bottles inside it. It was all I had left.

"Here." she stood, passing it to me. I smiled down at her, watching as she shoved her toys into her bag before pulling it on to her back. Looking up at me she gave a short nod. "Ready."

I grabbed her hand, her other one grabbing on to Houdini's collar before we set off.

Daryl moved towards us. "You need help?"

But before I could answer, Aly did. "No. Mummy, Dini and me know how to do it." she smiled.

Daryl's eyes went wide for a moment, surprised by what she said. But I didn't react to the fact she'd called me mummy. After the first time, I'd thought about it and decided to let it happen. If it's what she needed I wasn't going to stop her.

I just shrugged with a light smile. "Don't feel too bad. I still need you."

We followed the others, moving on to the tracks, with no destination in mind. But with our family back together, that didn't really matter right now.

**  
**

**Chapter 3**

**The Priest**

**RPOV**

I moved towards Tara, seeing that she was ready to talk now. "You didn't want to be there." I explained. "That's why I tried to talk to you." nodding to Glenn, I went on. "Glenn told me you saved his life."

The moment I'd seen her with the others in the shipping container we'd been locked in, I remembered her from the Governor's group. She was the one's I'd called out to ask if she thought what their group was doing was right or not. I'd picked her because not only could I tell she didn't want to be there, I could see that out of everyone in her group, she was the only one who could see the wrong in their actions right away. Other's realized after Hershel was killed, but she'd known for the start.

She shrugged. "He saved mine."

We both chuckled. "That's how it works with us." I noted. "Right?"

"Right." she nodded, and with that I turned, about to go. But she stopped me. "Hey." she lifted her fist looking to me as she waited for a fist bump.

I looked down at it, chuckling a little before lifting my own fist, bumping her's with it. Lowering my hand I gestured to where we'd stopped. "Get something to eat. We'll start back at sun-up." I told her before moving on.

 

...

 

It was dark now and getting late. We'd eating the little amount of food we had and filled our water bottles at a stream we'd found. Everyone was settling in now to get some sleep before morning. We all needed the rest, after a day like today. But before that, I needed to talk to Carol, to make sure she knew where I stood.

"I owe you everything." I told her.

She shook her head. "You owe Tyreese. He was at the prison."

I realized then, that's she'd gone back... "You got back there."

She looked away, pulling out my old watch, the one I'd given the guy before Carol and I parted ways, the guy I'd watched Gareth's men kill... "It was in one of their storerooms." she explained.

I nodded. "I saw them kill him. That kid." I told her as I took the watch back. Pulling out the one she'd offered me, I gestured for her to take it.

But she just shook her head. "Nuh-uh."

Shrugged, I put it away before taking a deep breath, moving closer so no one else would hear me. "I still don't know about what you did. But I know you knew some things I didn't. I sent you away to this."

"You said I could survive. You were right." she said simply.

"I sent you away to this, and now we're joining you." I went on before asking, "Will you have us?"

She looked taken aback for a moment, having never thought I'd come out with something like that. But she recovered quickly, nodding.

"Thank you." I gave a little smile before moving on.

**VPOV**

It was dark, the others having already moved off to go to bed. But Daryl and I had volunteered to stay up and keep watch. I knew Aly was safe, lying between Houdini and Carl. She'd attached herself to my brother a few hours ago and had decided to walk and stay with him. I was grateful he didn't mind.

Now that we were alone, I suddenly found I didn't know how to start a conversation with Daryl, because I knew we both had questions about what had happened over the last week or so, and I knew some answers I'd rather not say.

"I found Zach."

I jumped, looking over at him surprised. "What?"

He gave a slight shrug. "He walked out of the bushes, still alive a day or so after he'd been bitten." he explained. "Told me how you got him and Aly out of the prison. How you were takin' care of all of them."

I looked away, pulling my knees to my chest before putting my chin on my knees. "It's no big deal."

"How long has Aly been calling you mum?"

I smiled slightly. "She's only said it twice."

I felt him move closer as he put his arm around me. "Seems to me, saving them was a big deal to her. You don't see it, but I do. The way she looks up at you, smiling' all the time. Holdin' on to your hand tightly. She loves you."

"She loves you too." I told him, turning to place my cheek on my knee so I could look at him. "I told her she could only take two toys from the prison. Without thinking about it, she grabbed Pinky and Daryl the Deer." I smiled. "She missed you so much and it had hurt, seeing her like that. She asked me almost everyday if I thought you were dead."

"Did you?"

I shook my head, being honest. "Never. Not until I saw you being carted off in Terminus."

He leaned forward to kiss me then.

The leaves rustled and a twig snapped.

Daryl and I were up on our feet in an instant, his crossbow and my gun raised and ready. We stayed quiet for a moment, looking out to try and see what had made the noise. But as we stood there in silence, hearing nothing more, Daryl relaxed.

"It was nothing." he lowered his crossbow.

"You sure?" I kept my gun raised, just in case.

He just nodded, turning to me and putting my gun down so it was by my side. "I'm sure." he told me, looking down into my eyes.

Forgetting about the noise for awhile I looked up into his, watching as he leaned forward until our lips pressed together.

 

...

 

Daryl and I moved out of the bushes, each of us carrying some squirrels we'd managed to catch for the group. As we walked out we were met by our people, their guns raised at us, having thought we were walkers or others.

Daryl lifted his hands jokingly. "We surrender."

I gave a little chuckle, shaking my head as I moved towards Aly, where she stood next to Carl, her bag on her back and hand on Houdini's collar. She rushed up to me before I could get to her, grabbing on to the end of my jacket that hung by my side. Daryl moved to my dad, the two of them talking, probably about the fact we hadn't seen any track or anything even though we'd both been sure someone was watching us last night.

Dad turned to us, giving a little whistle. "Keep close." he told us all.

Daryl waited a moment before Aly and I were in stride with him. Aly looked around me at him, giving a sweet little smile before turning back to watching where she was going. I turned to Daryl seeing his face turn up ever so slightly, a smile threatening to surface.

"You love it, admit it." I grinned.

He shook his head. "Never said I didn't." he told me before finally giving a little smile.

"Help! Help, anybody! Help!"

We all froze, listening as someone yelled out.

"Dad, come on." Carl obviously wanted to go help, but turning to dad, I could see he was unsure.

"Vickie?" I looked down, seeing Aly's eyes scared and worried. "Let's help him." she told me.

Sighing, I gave a short nod. "You stay with Tyreese and Judy, okay?" she turned and moved towards them and I was off.

"Vic!" Daryl called after me.

"Vickie! Carl!" dad joined.

I looked to my side, seeing Carl running with me, the others now close behind.

"Help! Help! Anybody! Help me!" the screaming continued.

We were all running hard and fast now, moving through the trees.

"Help! Help! Please! Help me!"

We found the man, a priest, on top of a large rock with walkers all around him. Carl stopped, shooting one, once it was down, I moved forward, grabbing another and stabbing it in the head with my knife. Dad was next to me now, grabbing another one and smashing it's head against the rock while Michonne and Carol stabbed two more.

"Whoa!" I heard Daryl before I turned to see a walker coming my way. But before it got to me, an arrow went straight through it's head.

With all the walker'sow dead, everyone stopped, looking around just in case. We didn't do anything at first, we just looked around, making sure the commotion and screaming hadn't brought on more walkers.

"We're clear. Keep watch." dad said before turning to the priest. "Come on down."

The priest was terrified, shaking and breathing uncontrollably. He looked down the rock before managing to get to the ground. He looked horrible, like the was going to be sick or something.

Dad watched him carefully. "You okay?"

He lifted his finger before turning, throwing up.

Groaning, I turned away, looking over to see Aly hiding behind Tyreese. I gestured for her to stay where she was, just as Daryl moved closer to me, watching the priest, ready to protect me if need be.

When the priest was done, he stood looking to dad. "Sorry." he sniffled. "Yes. Thank you. I'm Gabriel."

"Do you have any weapons on you?" dad asked, getting to business.

Gabriel chuckled nervously looking to each of us as we watched him. "Do I look like I wold have any weapons?"

"We don't give two short and curlies what it looks like." Abraham- the red head I'd only recently met- noted.

"I have no weapons of any kind. The Word of God is the only protection I need."

I scoffed as Daryl spoke. "Sure didn't look like it."

"I called for help." Gabriel chuckled, turning to Daryl and me before gesturing to all of us. "Help came. His smile fell as he turned back to dad. "Do you, uh, have any food? Whatever I had left, it, uh, just hit the ground." he looked to where here was food lying on the ground by his feet.

Carl stepped forward. "We've got some pecans."

The priest took them, smiling lightly at Carl. "Thank you." Carl just nodded, stepping back. Judith made a noise then, drawing Gabriel's attention to her, where Aly was as well... Gabriel smiled at them. "They're beautiful children."

Everyone moved just slightly then, to stand a little more in front of the children. We were protective of them, even the new comers were. So when people took notice of them, we didn't really like it. Though dad didn't move, just kept his eyes on the priest.

Gabriel looked to him again and I could tell he felt extremely uncomfortable and intimidated with all of us here. "Do you have a camp?" he asked.

"No." dad answered instantly. "Do you?"

"I have a church."

I rolled my eyes.  _Is this guy serious?_

Dad felt exactly like me, shaking his head. "Hold your hands above your head." Gabriel did as he said, and dad stepped forward, patting him down as he started to ask the three questions. "How many walkers have you killed?"

"Uh..." Gabriel stammered. "Not any, actually."

"Turn around." dad told him. Once he was turned dad continued to pat him down. "How many people have you killed?"

"None." Gabriel answered turning back around, sounding as if he thought it was an absurd question.

"Why?" dad asked the final question.

"Because the Lord abhors violence."

Dad stepped closer to him. "What have you done? We've all done something."

"I'm a sinner. I sin almost every day." Gabriel admitted. "But those sins, I confess them to God. Not strangers."

"You said you had a church?" Michonne spoke up.

Gabriel nodded, and it was decided, we were going with him.

 

...

 

Daryl, dad and I stayed closest to Gabriel, ready to defend the others if it came down to it. None of us were relaxed. Our weapons still out, our bodies still in action mode.

"Hey, earlier, were you watching us?" dad asked Gabriel.

"I keep to myself." Gabriel answered. "Nowadays, people are just as dangerous as the dead, don't you think?"

"No." Daryl answered.

"People are worse." I added.

"Well, I wasn't watching you. I haven't been beyond the stream near my church more than a few times since it all started. That was the furthest I've gone before today." Gabriel turned to look at us before speaking again. "Or maybe I'm lying. Maybe I'm lying about everything and there's no church ahead at all. Maybe I'm leading you into a trap so I can steal all your squirrels." he chuckled.

We all stopped, watching him carefully. Joke or not, it was stupid of him to say.

He noticed we'd stopped, and turned to us, his smile falling. "Members of my flock had often told me that my sense of humour leave much to be desired."

"Yeah." Daryl nodded, standing in front of me protectively. "It does."

Dad kept moving towards Gabriel slowly, the priest now backing up before he continued on, the rest of us following again, only this time more alert.

We reached the church eventually. Saint Sarah's Church. A little white thing with bold, varnished doors. It looked as if it hadn't been touched by the crap that had over run the world these days. It was actually quite sweet.

"Hold up." dad called, stopping Gabriel from unlocking the doors. "Can we take a look around first?" he asked, walking up the stairs to the doors. "We just want to hold n to our squirrels." he said, gesturing for the priest to give him the keys.

Gabriel handed them over and dad unlocked the doors, some of us moving forward to walk in with dad, ready to check the place out for any traps or dangers or people. Dad, Michonne, Daryl, myself, Carol, and Glenn walked inside in that order, weapons at the ready. We moved through in formation, checking each row of chairs as other moved to check the two rooms. But it was just a church, with just one man...

Dad whistled, giving us the all clear that the place was good and we could grab the others.

Walking out, Gabriel turned to us. "I spent months here without stepping out the front door. If you found someone inside, well, it wouldn't been surprising."

"Thanks for this." Carl stepped forward, holding Judith, with Aly and Houdini right behind him.

"We found a short bus out back." Abraham told dad as he stepped up as well. "It don't run, but I bet we could fix that in less than a day or two, Father here says he doesn't want it. Looks like we found ourselves some transport." he watched dad. "You understand what's at stake here, right?"

"Yes, I do." dad answered, looking down at Judith.

"Now that we can take a breath?" Michonne started.

But Abraham cut her off. "We take a breath, we slow down, shit inevitably goes down."

"We need supplies no matter what we do next." Michonne told him, not caring what he had to say. Right now, we had more important things to do than to just head of to Washington.

"That's right." dad nodded. "Water, food, ammunition." he finished, walking inside.

I stepped up to Abraham, looking up as he towered over me. "Preferably in that order." I stated, not intimidated by him at all. With that, I grabbed Aly's hand and headed inside with dad, Carl and Judith right behind me.

"Short bus ain't going nowhere." Daryl shrugged. "I'll bring you back some baked beans." he turned, following us inside.

"How'd you survive here for so long?" dad asked Gabriel, wanting to know what this guys deal was. "Where did you supplies come from?"

Gabriel gave a little chuckle. "Luck. Our annual canned food drive. Things fell apart right after we finished it. It was just me." he answered. "The food lasted a long time, and then I started scavenging. I've cleaned out every place nearby. Except for one."

"Well, what kept you from it?

"It's over run."

"How many?"

"A dozen or so. Maybe more."

Dad turned to us, nodding. "We can handle a dozen."

"Bob and I will go with you." Sasha offered. "Tyreese should stay here, help keep Judith safe."

"That'll be okay?" dad asked, just in case.

But Ty just nodded. "Sure. You ever need me to watch her, need anything for her, I'm right here."

"I'm grateful for it." dad told him. "And everything else."

I stepped up to Ty. "Can you watch Aly too? Daryl, Carol and I are gonna head out, find some water."

"Of course." Tyreese gave a little smile. "No problem."

Dad turned to Daryl and me, Carol outside waiting. "You sure you three will be enough?"

Daryl gave a short nod. "We'll be fine."

"Okay. You stay together, and don't go too far. We don't know what's out there or who might be around." dad told us.

With that, Daryl and I moved towards the door, giving a little wave to Aly on the way, watching her as she sat on the ground next to Carl, playing with her dolls, Houdini's head resting on her knee.

**  
**

**Chapter 4**

**Feast and Beasts**

**RPOV**

I knelt infront of Carl, needing him to understand the situation. "Listen, I don't trust this guy."

"Why?" he asked suddenly.

"Why do you trust him?" I asked back.

He shrugged. "Everybody can't be bad."

I nodded, it was a fair call. But in the world today, we couldn't risk it. It's best to make people earn your trust, not earn your distrust. Amused, I spoke again. "Well, I don't trust this guy, and that's why I'm bringing him with me. But he could have friends. So I need you to stay alert and help Tyresse protect Judith and Aly, okay?" he nodded and I went on. "Now, I need you to hear what I'm about to say."

"Okay."

"You are not safe. No matter how many people are around or how clear the area looks, no matter what anyone says, no matter what you think, you are not safe. It only takes one second. One second and it's over. Never let your guard down, ever. I want you to promise me."

"I promise."

"Okay." I stood, turning to move towards the door.

"Dad." Carl called, and I turned, waiting for him to go on. "You're right. I am strong. We both are. But we're strong enough that we can still help people. And we can handle ourselves if things go wrong. And we're strong enough that we don't have to be afraid. and we don't have to hide."

I nodded. "Well, he's hiding something."

"I'll stay safe, dad."

Resting my hand on his shoulder I gave a little smile. "Yeah." turning I walked out of the church, joining the others.

 

...

 

Michonne, Sasha bob and myself followed the priest, walking through the town carefully. We had out weapons out, ready, as we walked quietly, watching everything.

"Hey." Bob came to stand next to me. "When you said, 'They don't get to live,' you weren't wrong. We push ourselves and let things go. Then we let some more go and some more. And pretty soon, there's things we can't get back. Things we couldn't hold on to even if we tried. Washington's gonna happen, Rick."

"I haven't decided if we're going." I told him. As much as I told Abraham I thought it was a good idea, I wasn't sure if Washington had the answers. Right now, the only thing I was sure of was that I needed to keep our family together.

"Yeah, I know. And that's cool." he shrugged. "But you've seen Abraham in action. He's gonna get there, and Eugene's gonne cure all this, and you're gonna find yourself in a place where it's like how it used to be. And if you let too much go along the way, that's not gonna work. 'Cause you're gonna be back in the real world."

"This is the real world, Bob."

He shook his head, laughing lightly. "Nah. This is a nightmare, and nightmares end. I'm sorry. I'm calling it. Washington's gonna happen. You're gonna say yes. Already too much momentum. You can't fight city hall. Maybe that's just one of those parts of not letting go."

**DPOV**

Vic, Carol and I walked along the road, carrying two large bottles of water each. We'd been quiet for the most of our run, I could tell neither of them wanted to talk about what they'd been through over the last week or so since the prison fell. But I knew they  _needed_  to talk about something.

"I get it." I started. "You don't wanna talk. But, you okay?" I asked, looking to each of them.

There was a hardness about them both now, Carol not as much as Vic though. Carol had been hard before Rick sent her away. Vic too, but not like this. She looked as if she thought at any moment it would be time to run, fight, or die. I had noticed Aly was the only thing that softened her, but even then she never relaxed...

"Gotta be." Carol answered.

Vic nodded. "What she said."

"We get to start over. All of us, with each other. You saved us all, just the two of you."

"It was luck." Vic shrugged.

"We all should be dead." Carol finished.

I shook my head, watching them as they kept looking forward. I didn't know what had happened, but whatever it was, it had changed them both...

"I'll check it." Carol spoke before moving a little faster.

I looked towards the way she was headed, seeing a car on the side of the road. "A'right." I shrugged, moving a little closer to Vic. "You know I'm here."

She gave a sharp nod. "Yeah. I know." she said before moving to join Carol.

Carol got into the front of the car, while Vic moved to check the engine. I watched them, wondering what I could do to fix this. Carol got out of the car, Vic closing the hood, both of them moving to the trunk.

"Hey." I called, causing both to turn. "We ain't dead. And whatever happened, happened. Let's start over."

Carol nodded, while Vic kept working. "I want to." Carol admitted.

"Well, you can." I told her with a shrug.

Vic sighed, stepping away from the boot, closing it. "We should leave this here for backup in case things go south at the church." with that they both moved to grab their bottle, Carol heading off.

I sighed, stepping towards Vic. "Want me to carry one of those?" I asked, stretching out my hand. But as I did, one of my bottles dropped.

She gave a little smile, shaking her head. "I'm fine."

**RPOV**

"We're here." Gabriel gestured to the thrift store. "This was the food bank. It served the whole county. All the cans at my church were gonna end up here."

Nodding, I moved to the door. Once everyone was ready, I opened it, gun raised, finger on the trigger. We walked in carefully, scanning the place, checking for any dangers. Walking through we came to a big room that would have been the store space. In the middle of it, sat a large hole in the wooden floor boards.

The sound of splashing inside of the hole had me stop, gesturing for the others to do the same. Inching closer I moved to get a better look inside. Gesturing or the other to come, I counted about four walkers. The place was full of water, and with the walkers sitting in it, unable to get out, a stench had formed, like nothing I'd ever smelt before.

"If a sewer could puke, this is what it'd smell like." Bob described the smell perfectly.

"The water's been coming down that hole for a while." Michonne noted. "Slimmed this place up good."

"We can use the shelves to block them." Sasha suggested.

I nodded. "Yeah. That's it, Sasha. There's our way. Down those shelves." I gestured into the hole. The others moved to head in, but Gabriel stayed put. "Hey. I said you're coming with us." I told him, not giving an option.

 

...

 

We jumped into the water, Michonne and I grabbing the first shelf to start blocking the walkers.

"Go! Go!" I called as the others moved as fast as they could. "Here they come."

We managed to grab the shelves, blocking the walkers right as they reached us. Now, unable to get through, the walkers tried to grab us through the shelves. We used this as an advantage, killing them as she leaned towards us.

The sound of something crashing caught my attention. Turning I saw Gabriel out of our barriers and trying to move away from a walker as it neared him. His arms flailing, obviously scared of the thing.

"We have to get Gabriel." I told the others, moving to help him.

"What happened?" Bob asked.

"I don't know." I told them, looking at the shelves and the walkers. "All right. Help me push down the shelves on the ones in front of us, we'll fight through and I'll grab him." we got into position. "Go!"

Pushing the shelves, we managed to topple them over on to some of the walkers before we made our way through, moving towards Gabriel. We killed the walkers that got in our way, as I continued for the priest. Grabbing on to the walker gaining on him, I smashed it's face against a pole, killing it. Moving to Gabriel I made sure there were no more before turning to him, making sure he wasn't bit or scratched.

Suddenly I heard Bob scream. Turning I caught sight of him just as he was pulled under water.

"Bob!" Sasha called as we all moved to help Bob.

He came back up, a walker holding on to him as he tried to push it off. He managed to push it on to a broken pole, getting it stuck before Sasha grabbed a box, smashing the walker's face in.

Once it was dead, she turned to Bob panting. "You okay? Bob, you okay?"

He nodded. "I'm fine now."

 

...

 

We pushed two trolleys along the road stacked up with food and supplies. I carried one, while Michonne did the other.

Gabriel came rushing up to me, obviously feeling bad for what had happened. "I'm sorry. I, uh, panicked. I told you I'm-"

I cut him off. "You knew her when she was alive?" I knew the answer, it had been obvious. Looking at him now, seeing he wasn't going to answer, I nodded. "Yeah, I get it. You only tell your sins to God.

 

...

 

We'd changed things up a little to make it easier. Michonne and I were now pushing the front trolley, Sasha and Bob doing the other.

I turned to Michonne, making conversation. "Do you miss the sword?"

"Wasn't really mine in the first place. Found it in the very beginning."

"How'd you get so good?"

She shrugged. "It was just me and them out here, all day, every day, a good long time. I don't know what that was, but it wasn't life. Not like today. Stumbling around in three feet of slime for some peas and carrots? That's living." she grinned making me laugh. "I miss Andrea. I miss Hershel."

"Yeah." I nodded.

"I don't miss what was before. I don't miss that sword."

We came around the corner, seeing the church.  _I don't miss what was before_... To some degree I agreed with her. If the world hadn't fallen apart, we'd never have met everyone we were with today. I don't think I would trade that for anything.

**CPOV**

I stood outside, watching as dad came to walk towards me where I stood looking at one of the windows. I had heard him come back with the others, but I'd stayed here, needing to show him something.

"Hey." he called. "Vickie said you were out back. Come on in. We found food. A lot of it."

"Good." I nodded.

He watched me carefully. "What is it?"

I pointed to the wall and window. "Those scratches. They're deep. Like knives or something. Someone was trying to get in." I gestured for him to follow. "I found something else." leading him around the back, I kept talking to make sure he didn't freak out. "I don't know what happened, but whatever it is, we can handle it." I stopped, nodding to the wall.

Etched into the wood, with what seems to have been a blade of some kind, were four words.  _You'll Burn For This._

"Doesn't mean Gabriel is a bad guy for sure, but it means something."

**VPOV**

I sat next to Daryl leaning against him as I ate my first real meal since the prison fell. I was taking it slow, making sure I didn't make myself sick, but it was so good, I found myself wanting to just eat it all in one bite. Aly laughed, sitting beside me, throwing bits of her meat towards Houdini, who caught it in the air, wagging his tail. Everyone was laughing actually, and talking. It was really nice, being together like this. The soft glow of the candle just made it all feel a little warmer and better too.

"I'd like to propose a toast." Abraham called out, standing, everyone going quiet as we listened. "I look around this room and I see survivors. Each and every one of you has earned that title." he lifted his glass of wine. "To the survivours."

We all cheered, lifting our own glasses. "Survivours!"

"Is that all you want to be?" he went on. "Wake up in the morning, fight the undead pricks, forage for food, go to sleep at night, two eyes open, rinse and repeat? 'Cause you can do that. I mean, you got the strength, you got the skill. Thing is, for you people, for what you can do, that's just surrender. Now we can Eugene to Washington and he will make the dead die and the living will have this world again. And that is not a bad takeaway for a little road trip." he nodded. "Eugene, what's in D.C.?"

"Infrastructure constructed to withstand pandemics even of this foobar magnitude. That means food, fuel, refuge. Restart."

"However this plays out, however long it takes for the reset button to kick in, you can be safe there." Abraham went on. "Safer than you've been since this whole thing started." he looked to each of us. "Come with us. Save the world for that little one. Save it for yourselves. Save it for the people out there who got nothin' left to do except survive."

Dad chuckled, Judith making a little noise. He looked down at her in his arms, smiling. "What was that?" everyone laughed as he turned to us. "I think she knows what I'm about to say. She's in. If she's in, I'm in. We're in." he nodded, smiling still.

We all laughed, clapping as we cheered. "Yeah!"

I felt Daryl nudge my arm then. Turning he nodded towards the door as he got up. Frowning, confused, I got to my feet, following him, having no idea what was going on, but I could tell he wanted me to follow.

**DPOV**

Vic and I walked through the bushes coming face to face with Carol by the car we'd found earlier.

"What are you doin'?" I asked, even though I had a pretty good idea as to what she was doing.

She shook her head. "I don't know."

Nodding over my shoulder I gestured for her to follow us. "Come on."

The sound of a car approaching had us hide behind the car we'd found, watching as it drove by. That's when I caught a glimpse of it's back window. Running to look at it again before it got away, I found what I thought I'd seen. A white cross on the back on the car.

Running back to our car I smashed out the lights using the butt of my crossbow.

"Daryl! Daryl, what are you doing?" Vic yelled, moving to stop me.

"They got Beth." I told them. They shared a look as I moved to the driver's side. "Come on. Come on, get it." moving fast I got in the front, Carol on my side as Vic climbed into the back. Turning the car on I sped out of there as fast as I could, following the other car, determined to get Beth back.

 

**Chapter 5**

**Four Walls and a Roof**

**RPOV**

Tyreese and I found Sasha outside while we were looking for her, Bob, Carol, Daryl and Vickie. She was busy killing a walker, so in order to make sure she didn't kill us, Tyreese grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth.

"It's me, it's me." he told his sister, letting her go.

"Tyreese. He's getting away." she panted.

"Who?" I asked, confused.

"Somebody was watching us."

"If we go in there now, some of us aren't coming back." Ty noted, looking into the woods.

But Sasha was insistent. "Bob is out there somewhere. Scared. Alone."

"Maybe not alone. Vickie, Daryl and Carol are missing, too." I noted, hoping they were all together. The last thing we need were our people getting picked off one by one...

**CPOV**

I sat on one of the long chairs in the church, petting Houdini as he sat in front of me, his head on my knee. Aly was lying next to me, fast asleep, holding on to her two toys as she mumbled quietly.

The doors to the church opened and closed, Tyreese, Sasha and dad walking in, something clearly wrong.

Sasha walked up to Gabriel. "Stop." he looked at what he was doing, simply cleaning up, unsure of what he'd done wrong. "What are you doing?" she asked him. When he said nothing she repeated herself. "What are you doing? This is all connected. You show up, we're being watched, and now four of us are gone."

Looking around I tried to see who she was talking about. That's when I noticed Bob, Carol, Daryl and Vickie were missing...

"I-" he started, confused. "I don't- I don't have anything to do with this."

Sasha pulled out her knife.

"Don't!" Rosita stepped forward, going to stop her when Abraham grabbed her, staying back.

"Sasha, put it away." Tyreese told his sister.

"Who's out there?" Sasha wanted answers.

The priest repeated him self, hands up in defense. "I don't have anything to do with this."

"Where are our people?"

"I don't have anything-"

"Where are our people!?

"Please, I don't have anything to do with this. I-"

Dad pulled Sasha back, moving towards Gabriel. "Why'd you bring us here?"

"Please, I-"

Dad cut him off. "You working with someone?"

"I'm alone. I'm alone. I was always alone."

"What about the woman in the food bank, Gabriel? What did you do to her? 'You'll burn for this'. That was for you. Why? What are you gonna burn for, Gabriel?" dad stepped forward, grabbing his shirt. "What? What did you do? What did you do!?" he let Gabriel go, the priest shaking as he tried to speak.

"I lock the doors at night. I always lock the doors at night. I always lock the doors at night." the priest cried. "They started coming, my congregation. Atlanta was bombed the night before, and they were scared. They were looking for a safe place, a place where they felt safe. And it was so early. It was so early. And the doors were still locked." his voice shook. "You see, it was my choice. But there were so many of them, and they were trying to pry the shutters and banging on the sidings, screaming at so the dead came for them.

"Women. Children. Entire families calling my name as they were torn apart, begging me for mercy. Begging me for mercy." he sobbed. "Damning me to hell. I buried their bones. I buried it all." he looked up at my dad. "The Lord sent you here to finally punish me." he fell to his knees. "I'm damned. I was damned before. I always lock the doors. I always lock the doors."

The sound of whistling had us all turn to a window as Glenn looked outside. "There's something- There's someone outside, lying in the grass."

Thinking it could be Vickie, I got to my feet, running for the door as Sasha did the same.

"Sasha! Carl!" dad called, but we were already moving.

As we ran outside we found Bob lying on the ground, a leg missing, knocked out, looking absolutely terrible.

"Bob! Bob!" Sasha cried moving to kneel by his side.

Walkers started to come our way...

"Get Bob inside. We'll take care of them." Glenn told Maggie and Sasha as he and the rest of us started to deal with the walkers, killing them as they neared the church.

"Get inside!" dad yelled. "Go!"

We all did as he said, rushing back in the church, closing the doors after him.

**RPOV**

"I was in the graveyard. Somebody knocked me out." Bob explained as we all sat around him, unsure of what happened and what to do. "I woke up outside this place. It looked like a school. It was that guy. Gareth. And five other ones. They were eating my leg right in front of me. Like it was nothing. All proud, like they had it all figured out."

"Did they have Vickie, Daryl and Carol?" I asked, needing to know where are other people were. Where my daughter was.

He shook his head. "Gareth said they drove off."

That didn't make sense... they'd never leave us here without telling us why or where they were going. Vickie would definitely never leave Aly. Not like this.

"He's in pain." Sasha turned to Rosita. "Do we have anything?"

Rosita nodded. "I think there are pill packets in the first-aid kit."

"Yes."

"Save them." Bob told them both.

"No!" Sasha insisted.

But he wouldn't have it. "Really!" lifting his hand, grunting, he pushed his shirt off his shoulder, revealing a bite mark. "It happened at the food bank." there was no saving him now. We all knew it, he knew it. It was just a matter of time...

"There's a sofa in my office." Gabriel offered. "I know it's not much, but..."

Sasha turned to him, nodding. "Thank you."

Moving towards Bob, Tyreese bent down. "I got him." as he lifted Bob, I moved to the priest.

"Do you know the place Bob was talking about?"

"It's an elementary school. It's close."

"How close?" I could see he wasn't going to give an answer, unsure if he should trust us or them... But I wouldn't have it. "How close, Gabriel?"

Giving in he answered. "It's just a ten minute walk through the woods from here, due south of the graveyard."

Nodding, I moved over to Maggie as Carl took Judith and Aly into the opposite room of Bob. "Does he have a fever?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "He's just warm."

"Jim lasted almost two days before we left him." Glenn noted as he came to join us.

"Time for a reality check. We all need to leave for D.C." Abraham called near the doors. "Right now."

"Vickie, Daryl and Carol are gonna be back. We're not going anywhere without them." I sure as hell wasn't splitting up and leaving people behind again. We were a family. We were sticking together.

"I respect that, but there's a clear threat here to Eugene. I need to extract his ass before things get any uglier. So if y'all won't come, good luck to you. We'll go our separate ways." he turned, about to leave.

"You leaving on foot?" I called.

He stopped. "We fixed that damn bus ourselves."

"There are a lot more of us." I told him, not giving up, not letting him win.

"You want to keep it that way? You should come."

"Carol and Vickie saved your life!  _We_  saved your life!"

"Well, I am trying to save yours! Save everyone's."

"We're not going anywhere without our people.

"You're people took off."

"They're coming back."

"To what, picked over bones?!"

"You're not taking the bus!" I reached for him.

He pushed me away. "Do not lay hands!"

"Abraham!" Rosita warned.

"Hey, hey, stop! Now!" Glenn put himself between us, breaking us up, turning to Abraham. "Do you really think that you're gonna be any safer leaving right now in the middle of the night?"

"Yeah." Abraham nodded. "Yeah."

"What about tomorrow?" Glenn offered. "We need each other for this. We need each other to get to D.C. We can get through all of it together."

"I have an idea." Tara stepped forward, moving to Glenn and Abraham. "If you stay just one more day and help, I'll go with you to D.C. No matter what." she turned to me. "Okay?"

"Glenn and Maggie, too." Abraham added, making a deal.

"No." I stepped forward, not having it.

"Good luck, then." he shrugged. "I'm not interested in breaking up what you have here. Rosita, grab your gear."

"Abraham-" she started.

But he cut her off. "Now. Eugene, let's go." when he didn't move, Abraham called him again. "Eugene." he warned. "Move it."

"I don't want to."

"Now." he said, growling.

"Okay." Eugene stood, moving to Abraham and Rosita.

"You're not taking the bus." I was not letting him just take it and leave the rest of us stranded on foot. We had kids. We had more people. We had more supplies to carry. We  _needed_  that bus.

He stopped again. "Try to stop me."

Standing there for a moment I thought it over before I made my mind up, moving towards him to settle this once and for all.

"Wait, wait, wait! Hey, hey, hey!" Glenn got between us again. "You stay." he looked to Abraham. "You stay and help us, and we will go with you."

"No." I would not let them go. They were family.

But he just turned to me, not listening. "It's not your call." looking to Abraham he nodded. "You stay, help us."

"Half a day." Abraham offered. "Come high noon, we're taillights. I'm not waiting for the other damn shoe to drop."

"And we will leave with you." Maggie reassured him from behind me.

Nodding, Abraham agreed. "Twelve hours. Then we go."

Now we just needed a plan, and the others to come back in time.

 

...

 

"They thing they're in control. We're in here and they could be anywhere. But we knew exactly were they are." I told the others as we gathered around, getting ready.

"Plan's got stones, I'll give you that." Abraham nodded.

"Make our move before they do." Glenn noted.

"That's right. They're not counting on us thinking straight." I told them.

"Are we?" Rosita asked, shrugging. "I'm just making sure. It's a big play.

I stood, taking a step towards her. "Remember what these people are capable of." I turned to Ty. "Tyreese?"

"Yeah?"

"You up for this?"

The door of the office opened, Sasha walking out. "I'm going with you."

Tyreese shook his head. "You should stay here with Bob."

But she wouldn't have it. "No, I want to be out there I want to be a part of this." she said simply before turning around and walking back into the room.

**CPOV**

I stood in the office, half of us here and half of us gone. We stayed quiet, waiting, knowing Gareth and his people were coming for us. We had the weaker people holed up in a small church with hardly any weapons. We were easy picking, and if they'd really been watching it wouldn't take long for them to come.

The front doors of the church opened...

I raised my gun, ready.

"Well, I guess you know we're here." Gareth called. "And we know, you're here. And we're armed. So, there's really no point in hiding anymore." the floors creaked. "We've been watching you. We know who's here. There's Bob, unless you put him out of his misery already. And Eugene. Rosita. Martin's good friend Tyreese. Carl. Aly. The dog... And Judith. Rick and the rest walked out, with a lot of your guns."

Everyone in the room stayed as silent as possible as we listened and waited.

"Listen, we don't know where you all are, but this isn't a big place. So let's just stop this now before things get more painful than they need to be." he went on, as the handle of the door twisted as much as it could while it was locked. "Look you're behind one of these two doors and we have more than enough firepower to take down both. Can't imagine that's what you all want."

Aly jumped in the corner at the sound of guns cocking.

"How about the priest? Father, you help us wrap this up, we'll let you walk away from this. Just open the door and you can go. You can take the baby with you. What do you say?"

Right at that time, Judith started crying. I moved towards her trying to calm her down. But it was too late...

"I don't know, maybe we'll keep the kid. I'm starting to like this girl." we could hear them move to our door. "That's your last chance, right now, to tell us you're coming out."

We all stayed silent, waiting.

"Are we done?" another voice asked, one of Gareth people.

"We'll hit the hinges."

Suddenly there was a bang against the wall, someone groaning. Another bang and groan following it.

"Put your guns on the floor." I heard dad warn them.

"Rick, we'll fire right into that office, so you lower your gun-" Gareth yelled out in pain before he could finish. We could hear him breathing hard and fast, groaning in pain.

"Put your guns on the floor and kneel." dad repeated.

"Do what he says." Gareth told his people, his voice telling us he was in pain as he groaned more. "Martine, there's no choice here."

"Yeah there is." the other voice spoke again.

"Want to bet?" Abraham asked suddenly.

There was the sound of something being put down before some movement. Gareth and his people probably doing as dad said.

"No point in begging, right?" Gareth asked.

"No." dad answered, closer now.

"Still you could have killed us when you came in. There had to be a reason for that."

"We didn't want to waste the bullets."

"We used to help people. We saved people. Things changed. They came in and they-" Gareth cut himself short, groaning. "After that... I know that you've bene out there. But I can see it. You don't know what it is to be hungry. You don't have to do this. We can walk away. And we will never cross paths again. I promise you."

"But you'll cross someone's path." dad noted. "You'd do this to anyone, right? Besides, I already made you a promise."

"No!" Gareth cried out.

The next thing we heard was chaos, it's the only way I could describe it. Tyreese stood by the door, looking out, but I didn't, I couldn't. I stayed in the corner with Aly and Judith, making sure they didn't look out and see. Hearing it was bad enough, as our people killed Gareth and his people...

Silence fell after a few short moments...

"It could have been us." dad spoke.

Gabriel walked out of the office, no doubt taking it all in. Dad, Sasha, and Abraham walked in to join us, coming to make sure we were all okay.

"This is the Lord's house."

"No." Maggie corrected the priest. "It's just four walls and a roof."

**RPOV**

It was morning now, getting close to noon. We were all gathered in the office with Bob, each of us saying our good bye, knowing it wouldn't be long now.

"You'll always be with us." Maggie sat on the couch with him. "Part of us." he smiled and she kissed his hand before getting up an moving to the rest of us before we all turned, ready to walk out and leave him alone to be with Sasha.

"Rick." Bob called. I went to hand Judith over to Carl, but he stopped me. "No, don't. Let her stay. I trust her."

"I'm right outside." Sasha told him, walking out.

"I just want to say thank you." he told me once we were alone.

"For what?"

"Before the prison, I didn't know if there were any good people left. I didn't know if anybody was left." he pointed to me. "You took me in. 'Cause you took people in. It was you man. What I said yesterday, I ain't revising it. Even in light of current events, nightmares end. They shouldn't end who you are. And that is just this dead mans opinion."

I nodded, giving a sad smile. "I'll take it."

He gave a little laugh. "Just look at her and tell me the world isn't gonna change." he smiled, reaching for my hand.

 

...

 

We stood outside, all of us except Sasha... Bob was gone now.

Abraham handed me a map. "This is our route to D.C. We'll stick to it as long as we're able. If not, you got our destination. One Eugene get's to the big brains left up there things are gonna bounce back. This group should be there for it. You should be there for it."

"They will be." Maggie nodded.

"Yeah, we will." Michonne agreed.

I turned to Maggie and Glenn, nodding back. "We will."

Smiling, Abraham turned for the bus. "Let's go."

Maggie grabbed my shoulder stopping me before I could move. "Tell Vickie I'm sorry we didn't stay. She's- She's my best friend..."

"I'll tell her, I promise."

With that, she and Glenn moved to the bus, joining Tara, Rosita, Eugene and Abraham. I knew it was hard, breaking the group up. But there had been a deal that was made, and there was a mission.

So, as they piled on to the bus, we all stood by the church watching as they drove off... Opening the folded map, I found a little note from Abraham.

' _Sorry, I was an asshole. Come to Washington. The new world's gonna need Rick Grimes.'_

**MPOV (Michonne)**

I sat on the steps outside, keeping watch, my sword in my hands, back with me. When I'd seen it with one of Gareth's people, and had picked it up, there was a part of me, I realized, that had missed it. It was- in a way- an extension of my arm, part of me.

The door opened, Gabriel walking out to join me. "I can't sleep." he said, coming to sit on the steps as well. "And now, I'm sitting in there... Quiet. It isn't just what happened last night. Saying what happened before, out loud, I see it all again. I hear them."

"Yeah. That's won't stop." I turned to him. "But it won't be all the time."

There was a noise in the bush, catching our attention. Gabriel was up and inside in an instant as I moved to check in out, sword at the ready.

That's when Daryl walked out of the bushes, and I was filled with relief, smiling... until I realized he was alone.

"Where's Vickie? Carol?"

Without answering he turned around. "Come on out."

**  
**

**Chapter 6**

**In an Abstract Way**

**VPOV**

"So it was just you and Beth after?" Carol asked Daryl as we continued to follow the car.

"Yeah." he nodded.

"You save her?"

He shook his head. "She's tough. She saved herself. We were out there for a while. We got cornered, she got out in front of me and... I don't know, she was gone." he explained. "I came out and a car's pulling out with a white cross on the window."

"Just like that one?" she asked.

"Yup."

I looked out the window, seeing it was really late now... "My dad's gonna wonder where we are."

"Yeah." Daryl looked at me through the rear view mirror. "I know."

"Tanks running low." Carol noted, changing the subject. "We could end this quick. Run them off the road." she suggested.

I shook my head. "And what do we do if they don't tell us anything? We still don't have Beth, but we'll have at least one person to deal with." I told her, not really feeling like I had to say what I really meant, what she really meant. Because we were talking about killing them, it's what we'd have to do if things went south.

Daryl nodded, agreeing with me. "Right now, we got the advantage. We'll see who they are. If they're a group, see what they can do, and then we'll do what we gotta do to get her back."

We all agreed on that at least. Beth was family. Not only ours, but she was Maggie's actually family, her sister, her blood. We don't leave people like that behind. Not when we've lost so much already.

"They're heading north, I-85." Carol noted.

Suddenly we were on the high way going towards Atlanta. I looked out the window on my left, seeing the bus I'd used as a home for a month or so all those years ago.

"Oh my God." I gasped as I took it in. Over time, it had changed a lot, as if nature was slowly taking it back...

**DPOV**

I stopped the car, seeing the other's stop at an intersection. When nothing happened, I started to think we were in trouble...

"What the hell's he waitin' for?" I asked no one in particular, squinting to see what they were doing.

Their lights turned off then, one of them getting out of the passenger side.

"There's two of them." I noted as the one getting out got into the light. "Is that a cop?"

"I don't know." Vic moved closer, sitting in the back. "It looks like a uniform."

Carol grabbed her gun, shifting slightly. Both Vic and I turned to her, she just shrugged. "They might have seen us."

It wasn't as if we were being sneaky about it. I'd like to think I would have noticed if someone was following us, even if their lights were off. I mean, most of the roads had been straight, and you know when there's a car on the road or not. It should have been obvious...

The person moved out of view, disappearing.

We jumped as a walker banged on Carol's window, snarling.

"God." Carol sighed as we all relaxed.

The cop came back, moving some bikes and things out of the way. He must have heard the walker, stopping to look over at us. Watching for a moment, he waited, before getting back in the car, driving off.

Once they were gone, I tried to start the car again, only to have the engine stall.

"Oh, shit! Tanks tapped. They'd have taken the bypass and they didn't. They must be holed up in the city somewhere." I noted, thinking over our options. But as I looked around, I noticed more walkers coming our way. "We gotta move, find someplace to hole up till sunlight."

"I know a place just a couple of blocks from here." Carol nodded. "We can make it." she wound her window down enough so she could stab the walker in the head.

I turned to Vic. "Ready?"

"Whenever you are."

"Okay. Let's go." I turned back to my door, opening it as they opened their's.

**VPOV**

Carol and I kept watch, weapons at the ready as Daryl tried to get a barricade down from a door.

"Two more." Carol called.

"I almost got it." Daryl told us.

Carol moved forward, ready to deal with the walkers. Before she got far, Daryl finally got through.

"Carol." I grabbed her arm. "Come on."

Daryl held the door open for us as we rushed in, he was close behind. Before he closed the door, we paused, hearing the walkers. Suddenly, the two we had heard, sounded as if they were now two dozen, all of them headed our way...

Daryl slammed the door, turning to us with a nod. Follow Carol we ventured further into the building, keeping alert and staying ready for anything.

There was a body of a dead security guard. Daryl leaned over it, grabbing the keys before moving on.

Carol led us to a door that read 'Service Center'.

"You used to work here or somethin'?" Daryl asked as we walked in.

"Something." she answered, leaving it at that.

We used the desk inside to block of another door, Carol going to the next one to unlock it, all three of us walking into another dark hall, following Carol. She seemed to know the place pretty well, taking us to a bedroom with a bunk bed.

"What's this place?" Daryl asked as he stopped in the door way.

"It's temporary housing." Carol answered, moving to place her things on the top bunk.

Daryl light moved to rest on a book that sat on the desk by the door. I read the title, seeing it was a self help book for abused people...

Daryl must have read it too. "You came here?"

"We didn't stay." she answered plainly.

"We?" before I finished saying the word, I knew who she was talking about.

She turned, our eyes locking. "Sophia and I."

Sophia... It had been a while since I'd thought about her, but not as long as you'd think. Aly, she reminded me a lot of Sophia, sweet and innocent, the way she clung to me. Everything I did to make sure Aly was okay, was also my way of trying to fix what I'd done to Sophia... even after everything that had happened, I still blamed myself. Not completely, but part of me never let it go.

"I'll take the top bunk. It'll be easier for you two to sleep on the bottom. Just no fooling around." Carol smiled, trying to joke.

Nodding, I took a seat, lifting one of the toys that sat by the pillow. It was a dark brown bear with a wide smile.

"You two should sleep. I'll take first watch." Carol offered, moving to the door.

Daryl shook his head, placing his vest on the desk. "This is locked up pretty tight."

"I know." she shrugged.

"So we're good then."

"I'll keep first watch." she insisted. "I don't mind."

"Suit yourself." shrugging he came to sit next to me. He moved so his leg were behind me, laying down, his arm under his head, looking up at the top bunk.

"You said we get to start over." Carol spoke. I looked up from the bear, seeing her looking out the window, her mind working overtime.

"Yeah." Daryl nodded.

"Did you?" she asked.

He sighed. "I'm trying."

Nodding, I reached over, putting the bear on the desk. "Me too."

Sitting back, I looked to Daryl. He moved his arm so it was along the pillow, nodding for me to lay down. I did just that, curling up against his side, resting my hand on his chest as his arm wrapped around me, and before I knew it, I was asleep.

**DPOV**

Vic was asleep, she'd gone out pretty fast, obviously needed it. But Carol and I were still awake. We'd stayed quiet for awhile now, but it was getting to me. I knew there was something she wanted to say. Something she needed to say.

Shifting, so as not to wake Vic but to look at Carol, I spoke up. "Why don't you say what's on your mind?"

"I don't think we get to save people any more."

I nodded. "Then why are you here?"

She looked away from the window then, turning to me. "I'm trying."

"When we were out by the car, what if Vic and me didn't show up?"

She shrugged. "I still don't know."

As we fell into silence again, the sound of distant banging started, coming from somewhere in the building.

I sat up, waking Vic who was awake in an instant. "What's going on?" she asked, looking to me as I crawled over her, getting up.

"Come on." I patted her leg, nodding for her to follow Carol and me.

I grabbed my crossbow, Vic pulling her knife out, Carol grabbing her gun. Moving through the halls, we followed the sign, staying quiet, being careful, using my flash light to guide us. Coming around a corner, we found what was making the noise. Behind a closed glass door, we could see a walker. Then another showed up, pressing against the window next to it... a little girl.

Carol stepped forward.

"You don't have to." I grabbed her arm. She looked from me to the door, about to open it. But I stopped her. "You don't."

She walked off then, heading back to our room. I turned about to follow, when I saw Vic still standing there, looking at the walkers.

"Hey." my hand came up to rest on her arm. "Come on."

She shook her head. "Everything I did, after the prison..." she looked up at me. "Everything I did was for Aly. I put myself in positions that could have hurt me, just so I could get her food, kill walkers, do whatever it took to keep her going. I didn't eat for days. I didn't sleep; not properly." she wiped a tear from her cheek. "And then Terminus. I'd been too weak to fight. He-he-" she choked.

"Hey." I shook my head, pulling her to me. "It's okay. It's alright."

I held her, waiting for her to calm down before we turned and headed back for the room. I knew we had to talk about what we'd been through, things we'd done. But it was going to take time. For now, I was okay with just having her back.

**VPOV**

"That car was headed downtown. I say we get up in one of the tall ones, get ourselves a view, see what we see." Daryl suggested as we backed our things up.

I shoved the brown bear into a bag I'd found, along with a water bottle and a change of shirt. It wasn't much, but I found if you come across something you should pick up because when you don't you usually need it later. The bear though, that was for Aly, to say sorry for running off.

"We can stay close to the buildings and keep quiet." Carol nodded.

I sighed, pulling my bag on to my shoulder as I turned to them. "Sooner or later, their gonna spot us or we're gonna find them."

**DPOV**

Roaming the streets, we stayed as close to buildings as possible, not only because there might be spotters, but to also try and avoid walkers catching sight of us. I took the lead, Vic in between Carol and I.

We got the a corner, stopping so I could look around, make sure it was clear.

There were walkers, a lot of them, but they'd be easily distracted. It was people we had to worry about. So I scanned the roofs and every spot someone could hide. Nothing.

"A'right." I turned back to them. "We can get up there." i gestured to the building across the road. "There's a bridge."

Dropping my bag, I pulled out the note pad and lighter, setting the pages on fire before throwing it away to get the walkers attention. With that, I grabbed my things and headed forward, knowing Vic and Carol would be right behind. I turned the corner and rushed into the building parking lot right next to us.

We moved to the first door me saw, opening it carefully, making sure the coast was clear before heading in. We got to one of the bridges I'd spotted, and came to a stop.

Sleeping bags and tents were set up along the length of it, walkers stuck, wriggling around as they tried to get free. Moving forward, we dealt with the walkers in sleeping bags, chances of them getting out higher than the tents. Once they were dead, we checked each one to make sure they didn't have anything useful.

Kneeling I looked to the first tent. "Some days, I don't know what the hell to think."

Vic nodded, turning to me. "I agree with you there." she shook her head, turning as she moved to the closed doors at the end of the walkway.

She waited for Carol and me. The doors had been chained, so our best bet was to go one at a time, each of us keeping an eye out for the others.

Carol went through first, dumping her things on the other side before crawling through. I kept the doors open for Vic as she did the same. I handed her my crossbow before squeezing through myself.

"Good thing we skipped breakfast." I grunted, trying for some humour.

Vic grinned, offering her hand and helping me up to my feet. "Tell that to my stomach, it hates me right now."

She handed me my crossbow back before we started moving again, following Carol to a set of doors, different than the other's we'd seen. I little more fancy, I suppose. Opening them we came into an empty office with large windows, giving a good view of our surroundings.

We moved inside, heading for the windows.

"How did we get here?" Carol asked, looking out.

I shrugged. "We just did."

"You still haven't asked me what happened after I met up with Tyreese, the girls."

Vic came to stand on my other side, looking out. "That's because we know what happened." she said, a sadness in her voice. She had a soft spot for kids, that'd been clear since day one.

It was true though, I knew what had happened, even though I didn't  _know_. It's what always happened. They died. How they died, well that only mattered if Carol needed it to.

I pulled my crossbow on to my shoulder. "They ain't here."

"It was worse than that."

I looked to Carol. I could tell she was struggling with herself, needing to talk about it but now wanting to... "The reason I said we get to start over, it's 'cause we gotta. The way it was." I left it hanging, knowing they'd understand me.

Carol nodded. "Yeah."

I looked out the window scanning the area, hoping to find anything that could help us. That's when my eyes caught sight f something. Stepping closer to the glass, resting my hand on it, I tried to get a better look.

"You see something?" Carol asked.

"I don't know." I gestured to her gun. "Hand me that rifle." I gave my crossbow over to Vic, grabbing the rifle from Carol before using the scope to get a better look. I found what I'd been looking for, a white van with white crosses on it's back door windows. "Right there." I handed the gun back, pointing to the van.

Carol took a look through the scope. "It's been there a while." she noted, handing the gun over to Vic so she could have a look.

Vic grabbed the gun, taking a look. "It's one of them. But do you think it'll help?"

I nodded. "It's a lead."

"We should fill up." Carol suggested, moving to the water filter.

Vic set the gun down, turning back to me. "There was a vending machine in the hall. I'll go check it out." she said, moving towards the door.

"You want me to come with?" I asked.

She stopped, turning to look at me, shaking her head smiling lightly. "I'm fine." with that, she walked out.

I looked around the room my eyes landing on the painting on the wall.

"What?" Carol asked, catching my attention.

I turned to her, seeing she'd been watching me stare at the painting. I shrugged. "I bet this cost some rich prick a lot of money." she handed me the water canister as I went on. "Looks like a dog sat in paint and wiped it's ass all over the place." I gestured to it, showing the way the dog would have moved.

"Really? I kind of like it."

"Like what?" Vic asked, walking back into the room, arms full of packets of food, bag full as well.

I pointed to the painting. "What do you think?"

She looked at it, dropping the food on a chair as she shrugged. "I think it's nice... in an abstract way."

**VPOV**

I went through the door first this time, putting my hand gun on the other side before squeezing through the small gap given by the chain. The last thing I had expected was for a guy a little younger than me grab my gun and point it to my head, gesturing for me to stand up and stay quiet.

Carol reached through the doors, putting her stuff on the ground before making her way through next. She got to her feet and looked up, freezing at the sight of the guy standing beside me, gun to my head.

Daryl's crossbow went through, his head poking around the doors.

"Daryl, don't." Carol warned, but it was too late.

The guy cocked the gun, pressing it to my temple. "Get up!" he told Daryl. "Hands up. Both of you."

Daryl squeezed through, grunting at the sight of the guy next to me, keeping his hands down.

"Lay down your crossbow." the kid ordered.

"You got some sack on you." Daryl didn't move.

"Look, nobody has to get hurt. I just need weapons, that's it." the kid snapped. "So, please, lay down your crossbow."

Daryl's eyes locked on mine as he nodded, putting the crossbow down.

Pleased he got what he asked for, the kid gestured to the wall. "Back up." Carol and Daryl stepped back, as he tapped the gun on my shoulder. "Pick up the crossbow and rifle. Hand them over."

I did as he said, putting the crossbow over one of his shoulders and the rifle over the next.

He nodded. "Sorry about this. You look tough. You'll be all right." he grabbed my knife quickly, before pushing me towards Daryl. Daryl caught me as the kid cut the tents open letting the walkers out.

"Stay back." Daryl pulled me behind him, killing the walkers as they came for us.

Carol pulled out her gun, shooting a walker before aiming it at the kid. I knocked her arms, making her shoot the ground instead, saving the guy.

She looked to me confused before running off, the walkers now dead. Daryl was close behind her, grabbing my arm to make sure I stayed close.

As we got to the door of the parking lot, all three of us pushed on it, trying to get through, but he'd locked it or blocked it off some how. There was no way through no matter how hard we pushed.

**  
**

**Chapter 7**

**So Little Time, Not Many Choices**

**VPOV**

Daryl lead us through the building, having no idea where to go, only knowing we had to get out. Finding the kid would have been a bonus... so long as we didn't kill him, I didn't want to do that. I just wanted our weapons back. My knife...

"Three bullets." Carol looked at me shaking her head. "We're in the middle of the city. He was stealing our weapons. He had a gun to your head." she sighed. "Did you think I was gonna kill him?"

"Well you weren't offering cakes and cookies, were you?" I snapped.

She rolled her eyes. "I was aiming for his leg. Could that have killed him?"

"Yes! It could have!"

"He was stealing our weapons!" she argued.

Daryl stopped at a door, trying to open it, only to find it was locked. Pulling out a knife he knelt down to try and unlock it while Carol and I continued to argue.

"He was just a kid." I yelled.

"Without weapons, we could die. Beth could die."

"We can find some more." I countered.

She shook her head. "I don't want you to die. I don't want Daryl to die. I don't want Beth to die. I don't want anybody at the church to die, but I can't stand around and watch it happen either." she was talking about something else now... "I can't. That's why I left. I just had to be somewhere else."

"You ain't somewhere else!" Daryl yelled, turning to us. "You're right here! Trying." he turned back to the door.

Carol just looked at him. "You're not who you were, either of you, and neither am I." Daryl finally got the door open, putting his knife away. "I don't know if I believe in God any more or heaven." she went on. "But if I'm going to hell, I'm making damn sure I'm holding it off as long as I can." she grabbed her bag from the floor, a book falling out. The one that had sat on the desk in our room last night.

Daryl lifted in up handing it back to her before walking through the door.

I turned to Carol, watching as she shoved the book in had bag. Our eyes locked for a moment, and I forgot about the kid then, just for a second. Instead, I remembered how Carol used to be, how we all used to be...

"Come on." I gestured for her to follow as I turned to catch up with Daryl.

 

...

 

Walking along the bridge, we headed for the van. It looked worse here than it had from up in the office, hanging over the edge of the bridge, ready to fall any minute.

Daryl stepped up to is, opening the back doors. "A'right, let's get this done."

I shook my head, stepping forward. "Me. I'm the lightest."

He turned to me, looking me up and down. I knew he wasn't questioning whether I was lighter, but rather if he should let me go in there while it's so unstable. Making his mind up without saying a word, he pulled him self into the van, grunting as he did so. Carol shook her head- agreeing with Daryl or not liking this idea I have no idea. Moving the tire that sat on the floor closer to the van she used it to climb in. Turning back to me, she offered her hand.

I took it, getting inside as well. "Thanks."

Once I was inside, crouching beside her, we both looked out to reach for the doors. But before we grabbed them, we caught sight of walkers moving our way... Grabbing a door each, we closed them before turning to Daryl as he sat in the front of the van. He took a seat in the driver's spot trying to be as careful as possible, but still managed to make the whole vehicle shake. We all stayed still for a moment, before Carol moved to join Daryl, taking a seat in the passenger's side, while I stayed where I was- not wanting to put any more weight at the front of the van.

Carol looked out the side window. "There's more coming. We're gonna have to fight through."

I opened one of the doors again, looking out to see our options, only to find we had none. Both ways were blocked. If we had weapons it would have been cake, but the kid had taken them all... and now we were stranded... and no one knew where we were... and even if they did they probably couldn't or wouldn't risk getting through the hoard to get to us...

Closing the doors I turned to the others. "We got a problem."

Daryl, now off the seat and moving towards me, grabbed the stretcher leaning against the wall, flipping it over. "GMH, what's that? A hospital?" he asked, seeming to not be as bothered by the walkers as Carol or myself.

I shrugged. "Grady Memorial, maybe."

"Grady and white crosses." he nodded. "It might be where they're holing up."

"Daryl." I snapped, making him look up at me and Carol stop as she moved to the doors. "There's too many." right on time, the walkers reached the van, hitting on the sides and back, moaning and growling.

"A'right." Daryl nodded, looking to both Carol and I. "You two, take a seat, buckle up."

"What?!" my eyes went wide.

He shook his head. "Got no choice."

"What about you?"

Carol looked between us. "You two sit." she nodded. "You need to make it back." when we went to protest she shook her head. "For Aly."

_For Aly._

Looking to Daryl he hesitated for a moment before nodding. We both moved to sit on the seats when I noticed there was still a little room next to me. I grabbed Carol's hand, nodding to the space. Not thinking it over, seeing as we didn't have time, she moved to sit next to me, both of us squeezing on to the seat, the belt pulled over us. I reached for Daryl's hand, Carol's resting on top of our's.

Daryl nodded at us. "You two hold on."

Squeezing my eyes shut I waited before feeling the van give way and fall.

**DPOV**

The van landed hard and heavy, staying up right. I groaned in pain, my belt digging into my shoulder and side.

Carol turned to look at me. "We're okay. We're okay." she nodded.

Suddenly a walker fell onto the hood of the car, it's head smashing against the glass, brains and blood going everywhere. Then there was another bang, followed by another, and more, so much so I lost count. When they stopped dropping and everything went silent, I turned to looked at the others, seeing Vic leaning forward still. My heart stopped.

"Vic?" I unbuckled my belt, reaching over Carol to get to her. "Vic!?" I lifted her head, seeing she'd hit it on the window, blood dripping down her face. "Vic, come on. Wake up."

She groaned, her eyes slowly opening. "Daryl?"

I nodded. "That's it come on."

She lifted her head slightly, looking around as I moved back. When she turned to Carol and I we got a better look at her head, seeing a few little bit of glass sticking to the blood.

Carol undid their belt, moving it around them before reaching for the door handle. "Come on. We gotta keep moving. We'll clean up once where somewhere safe."

Nodding I turned to my door opening it and stepping out, moving to their side to help Vic out, who seemed a little out of it still. "I got you." I told her, setting her against the side of the van. Carol stepped out then, holding her shoulder. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Let's keep moving."

**VPOV**

I rested my head against the wall, hissing in pain as Daryl picked the glass off and out of my wound.

He shook his head. "That was stupid." he scolded himself.

I looked up at him. "I'm okay, Daryl."

Carol nodded, sitting a little over to our side. "I've had worse. We'll heal." she set the water canister down. "There's only three blocks between us and Grady."

"We need to find a place nearby, get up high, check it out." I suggested.

"You really think we're gonna find out what we need to know just by watching?" Carol asked, skeptical, suggesting other courses of action without really saying the words.

Daryl shrugged, his hands falling from my head, finished. "It's where we start." he stood, offering me his hand before helping me up. "Come on."

 

...

 

We had found a building and made our way up, now sitting in a room, looking out the window at the hospital. We'd been right. It was Grady Memorial. All their cars we'd seen so far had the white crosses on on the window sill, I leaned against the wall, looking out at the hospital, Carol doing the same in front of me. Daryl, he'd gotten off with barely a mark. While Carol, it looked as if she'd broken her collar bone. Other than a few scratches and bruises, I was fine. But I was tired. I knew it was because of the head injury, which meant I couldn't sleep, but I also knew I would be fine.

Daryl stepped towards us, finishing a packet of chips I'd grabbed from the vending machine earlier. He turned to Carol. "You said I ain't like how I was before?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"How was I?"

"It's like you were a kid." she answered honestly. "Now, you're a man."

"What about you?" I asked.

She looked to me. "Me and Sophia stayed at that shelter for a day and a half before I went running back to Ed. I went home, I got beat up. Life went on and I just kept praying for something to happen. But I didn't do anything. Not a damn thing. Who I was with him, she got burnt away and I was happy about that. I mean not happy, but... And at the prison, I got to be who I always thought I should be. Thought I should've been. And then she got burnt away. Everything now just consumes you." she finished, looking out the window again.

Daryl and I shared a look as I remembered the first time I'd seen Carol, at least taken notice of her. She'd been by the fire with Ed and Sophia, Shane telling Ed to lower the fire. I hadn't really noticed Carol those days. She'd been a mouse. If it wasn't for Sophia we wouldn't have talked much.

Daryl turned back to her. "Hey, we ain't ashes."

In the distance we heard the sound of a door closing.

We were up in an instant, grabbing our things before Carol and I followed Daryl, moving towards where the sound had come from. We walked through the halls carefully, keeping an eye out for any movement. The sound of a walker snarling caught our attention, a light thud noise repeating as well Rounding a corner we found a walker, stuck against a wall by a bolt...

"Isn't that your's?" I asked Daryl, recognizing the bolt from the ones he used with his crossbow.

He nodded. "Yeah." pulling out his knife, he stabbed the walker in the head, killing it before ripping his bolt out.

The sound of a gun started suddenly, coming from somewhere not too far away. We headed down the hall, Carol and I in front, moving around the next corner to see the kid who had taken our weapons struggling against a walker. Suddenly he pushed the walker towards us.

I managed to push Carol out of the way before it could land on her, only to lose my footing and land on my back, the walker on top of me. I yelled out as it's teeth snapped towards my face.

Daryl grabbed it, lifting it enough before stabbing it in the head and tossing it aside. Reaching over, he offered his hand. "Come on." he pulled me up.

Once I was on my feet, the three of us started down the hall again, following the kid. Carol was a little slower, me pushing her having hurt her arm a little more. Daryl and I found the kid before her, seeing him trying to move a bookshelf away from a door, trying to get away. Daryl dropped his stuff, running towards the kid, slamming himself against him and the bookshelf. They both fell, the bookshelf about to go down on them.

"Daryl!" I yelled.

Daryl rolled out of the way just in time as the shelves landed on the kid, trapping him. The door now slightly ajar but not moving much more, the walker we hadn't seen on the other side tried to reach through, snarling and moaning.

"Please, please. I had to protect myself." the kid tried to reason with us.

Daryl grabbed our things, leaning over the kid. "Why you following us?"

"I didn't, I swear! I thought you followed me."

"Bullshit." Daryl shook his head, turning to Carol and I. "Come on. Let's go." he shrugged, starting to leave.

But Carol and I stayed, looking down at the kid.

"Daryl." Carol turned to him. "Daryl, stop."

He stopped, looking back at us. "You both almost died because of him!"

"But we didn't."

I shook my head. "He's just a kid, Daryl."

He looked to the guy and then back at me. "Nah, let him be." he turned walking down the hall.

The walker squeezed through the door, landing on the shelves, teeth snapping towards the kid. I didn't waste time, dropping my bag, ready to pull the walker off him.

Before I could reach them, a bolt through through the air, getting the walker in the head. We all turned to Daryl as he walked towards us again, pulling his bolt out of the walkers head, looking at me. I could tell what he was thinking, just by looking in his eyes. He was going to leave the kid, but he knew either Carol or I would have tried to help, and chances were we would have gotten hurt, more than we already were.

Daryl pulled the walker off the shelf, moving to the end. "On three. One. Two." he lifted the shelves up, grunting as he held them in the air.

Carol and I grabbed the kid, pulling him out together. Once he was out of the way, Daryl let the shelves drop.

"Thank you." the kid panted. "Thank you." he tried catching his breath for a moment before getting to his feet, rushing to the window.

Daryl stood in front of Carol and me. "You two okay?" we both just nodded, smiling lightly, a little out of breath.

"I gotta go. I gotta go. They're gonna come." the kid mumbled. "They probably heard the shot. If they find me..." he went to rush off.

Daryl got in his way, stopping him. "Who?"

"Them. People at the hospital." the kid answered trying to rush off.

Daryl just grabbed his arm. "Wait, wait, wait, just tell us. Is there a blonde girl there? You see a blonde girl?"

"Beth?" he asked. "You know her?"

Carol, Daryl and I all shared a look, pure shock written on our faces. What are the chances we'd run into someone from the same hospital Beth was being kept at?

"She helped me get out, but she's still there."

Carol looked out the window, probably seeing something before she turned to us. "They're coming."

The kid nodded. "We gotta go now. We gotta go." he started, rushing down the hall the three of us close behind. He lead us through the hallways and room, leading us to the entrance, seeming to have an idea as to where he was going. "The building next door has a basement. It's clear. We'll be safe." he told us, moving as fast as he could, even though he had a visible limp.

Suddenly he started groaning as he fell to the ground, clutching his leg.

"Go." Daryl told Carol and me. "I got him."

Carol and I kept going, rushing through the doors. I could see the next building, and it's entrance. It was close. No walkers around. We went to run across the road. Out of nowhere a car crashed into Carol, her body rolling over and off the hood.

"No!" I fell to my knees, grabbing her.

Two men got out of the vehicle, dressed in police uniforms, one of them carrying a portable stretcher. "It's okay, ma`am. We'll take care of her." the one with the large gun nodded as he grabbed my arm. "We have a hospital." he told me as the other set the stretcher up by Carol. "Just wait in the car, will grab her and get you both some help soon. You can trust us."

I looked down at Carol's unmoving body, then at the doors I'd just walked through, before turning to the cop. There weren't a lot of options, but the best thing for Carol right now was to get some help. Making up my mind, I nodded and moved around the car, watching as they pulled her on to the stretcher, carrying her to the back of vehicle as I got in the back seat. Pulling my belt on I looked into the building one last time, seeing Daryl and the kid watching me, Daryl clearly distressed...

**DPOV**

I helped the kid to his feet, both of us rushing to catch up to Carol and Vic. As we looked out the glass doors we caught sight of a wagon coming out of nowhere and crashing into Carol, her body rolling on and off the hood.

"No!" Vic yelled, falling to her knees by Carol.

Without thinking my body moved forward, ready to go to Vic and Carol.

"No! Wait!" he kid grabbed me.

"Let go of me!" I struggled against him as he pulled us behind the corner.

"They can help her! Both of them. They're the only ones who can. They have medicine, machines, a doctor." he explained. "You go out there, you'll have to kill them, okay? And then your friends can't get help. Is that what you want?"

I watched as one of the cops talked to Vic before she back up, getting into the vehicle. He moved to the other cop then, getting Carol on to the stretcher and lifting her up.

"We can get them back. We can get Beth back." the kid told me as the car drove off.

"What's it gonna take?" I asked, ready to do anything.

"A lot. They got guns, people."

I nodded. "And so do we."

**VPOV**

I followed the stretcher Carol was lying on as the police officers wheeled her through the hospital as fast as they could, taking her to a room.

When I finally looked up, taking in my surroundings for the first time, I came to a stop, freezing in the middle of the hall way...  _Beth._

**  
**

**Chapter 8**

**Ashamed**

**VPOV**

I'd only been here a few hours and I already hated this place. One of the cops that had found me, turns out I was now  _his_. It's exactly how it sounds really, with the way he'd been looking at me since I got here, I knew it was only a matter of time before I got bloody trying to defend myself.

"Victoria, right?"

I looked up from the window, coming face to face with a woman I'd already figured out was in charge of this place. "Yeah." I nodded.

"My name's Dawn." she showed me the first aid kit in her hands. "I thought you might want to patch that up." she gestured to my head. "Looks pretty bad." when I just kept staring at her she sighed, moving to sit next to me. "I get it, you don't know us, and we don't know you. But you can't go anywhere until your friends better and you're healed. This place can help you, if you just let us."

Movement over her shoulder caught my attention as Beth walked into the room they'd put me in after they'd taken all my things and told me to get dressed in the hospital scrubs that were laid out on the bed, nice and neatly...

Dawn turned to Beth, letting me get a better look of her, seeing she was carrying a tray of food.

"I thought, she might like something to eat." Beth shrugged, setting the plate on the bed.

"Thank you Beth." Dawn turned to me, seeming to have an idea. "Could you help me with Victoria for a moment? I need to stitch up her head wound."

Beth nodded, moving to come stand next to Dawn. We hadn't talked, but there'd been a silent understanding between us the moment we'd seen each other before. The best thing for both of us and Carol, was to make sure no one figured out we knew each other. They wouldn't have any more leverage on us that way.

I stayed seated as Dawn stepped closer to me, the light in my room helping her see as she started to carefully stitch up the cut from the fall in the van earlier. We didn't talk, any of us, the only noises were the few hisses I gave as the needle and thread moved through my skin.

When she was done, Dawn stepped back. "Okay, it should be fine, just keep an eye on it, just in case." she told me as she grabbed the first aid kit again. Turning to Beth, she gestured to the food on the bed. "Why don't you eat with Victoria tonight, keep her company, help her feel welcome, explain a few things?"

Beth looked from me and then back to Dawn. "Really?"

I had a feeling, seeing as none of the other people I'd seen around here would talk to me, that they weren't actually allowed to. So I was surprised as well to hear Dawn insist Beth stay here with me before she walked out, leaving the two of us alone.

After a moment, when we couldn't hear Dawn's footsteps anymore, Beth reached forward, wrapping her arms around me.

"I thought I'd never see anyone again." she admitted. I gave a little smile, my arms going around her too. She pulled back, looking at me as she shook her head. "What are you doing here?"

"We all found each other again." I explained. "My dad, Carl, Judith, Tyreese, Sasha, Bob, Daryl, Glenn, Michonne, Maggie. Even a few new people. Daryl saw one of the cars that had taken you. We followed it. We came to save you."

She smiled, but I could see in her eyes there was a sadness there. "How's Maggie? And Judith? What about Aly?"

"They're all fine. Everyone's fine." I reassured her.

She looked around the room, her eyes falling on the door. "Vickie, we gotta get out of here."

"I know." I grabbed her hand, squeezing it. "The others are coming, I know they are. They're coming."

 

...

 

Beth had left a little while ago, but before she had, she'd pointed out some blood from my head that had dripped on to my hospital shirt. Apparently Dawn liked everything neat and orderly, so I had to change. Beth got me another shirt from the laundry room, before leaving me to change.

I pulled the shirt over my head, groaning in pain from all my bumps and bruises I got from the fall. The sound of my door closing had me jump and turn around. There, standing half in the shadows and half in the light, was the cop who'd brought Carol and I back...

I reached for my new shirt, covering my chest. "Do you always just walk in to people's rooms without knocking first?"

He grinned, stepping forward. "Only when they're my wards and I want something from them."

I didn't need him to explain to me what it was he wanted, his eyes told me his words hadn't. "Look, I've had a bad day, so I suggest you leave before I scream... or worse."

He shook his head, taking another step forward, but I had nowhere to go, already against the side of my bed. "Scream if you want, no one will come. And if you put up a fight, well your little friend might suffer the consequences."

I froze. I realized he could only be talking about Carol. There was no way he could know Beth and I knew each other. Which meant if he did anything to Carol, she was defenseless... I couldn't let that happen.

He took the last step to me, now leaving mere inches apart. "So. What will it be?" he asked, his hand coming up to brush some hair out of my face. "Are you going to play nice?"

After all the times I'd been in this position, there'd always been a way. A way to stop them. A way to get out. A way to find help. A way to save myself. Calling out for help when it'd been Shane, anyone would have heard eventually, I'd just been lucky it was Daryl who'd come to my rescue. Then when it'd been those men, out in the woods by the farm, I'd been strong enough to fight. The Governor, he'd given up the moment he realized I wouldn't help him no matter what he did. But now? Now I had others to think about. Carol. Beth. Other innocent, weak wards. Even my family at the church. If I did something to upset anyone enough to make them kill me, I'd be leaving my family. Dad. Carl. Aly. Daryl. All of them.

I nodded slowly. "Okay." I sounded so weak... I hated it.

He grinned. "That's a good girl." suddenly he grabbed my arm tightly, turning me around and pushing my head down, against the bed. He didn't say anything else as he pulled down the hospital scrub pants I wore.

The last thing I heard was the sound of his zipper and then his pants falling to the ground before he forced himself into me, ripping away my dignity piece by piece with every thrust.

**CPOV**

Dad, Daryl, Tyreese, Sasha and the kid, Noah, had left to go to Atlanta. I had no doubt they'd bring Beth, Carol and Vickie back. If anyone could do it, we could. I had wanted to go as well, not just for my sister, but for all of them. To help. To do something other than sit around and wait. But I also knew Michonne would need some help at the church. The priest was good for nothing and with Judith and Aly, Michonne would have her hands full. So I stayed.

We'd all managed to barricade the place up before the others left though. Wooden boards on the windows and doors. The organ's pipes dug into the ground by the front stairs to block of any walkers. We were locked up pretty tight.

"Do you think Vickie's going to be okay?" Aly asked me, looking up from the doll she'd been playing with.

Last night, when Daryl had gotten back without her and Carol, and told us all what had happened, we'd been luck enough that Aly was asleep. This morning when she'd learnt the truth, it'd been a nightmare. She'd burst into tears, crying so loudly we'd been worried walkers would come our way. Only Daryl had been able to calm her, which if you didn't know how good he was with her it would have been a shock. Daryl could be a scary guy, but he turned to putty when it came to Aly. Eventually he'd calmed her by promising he'd bring Vickie back. It wasn't an easy promise, but we all believed we could do it.

I nodded down at her, offering a kind smile. "I'm sure Vickie's fine."

**DPOV**

"At sundown we fire a shot into the air. Get two of them out on patrol." Rick went through the plan as the five of us stood around an empty building room. "Then once it's dark enough that the rooftop spotter won't see us, we go. We cut the locks on one of the stairways, take it to the fifth floor, I open the door, Daryl takes the guard out."

"How?" we all turned to Ty.

Rick shrugged. "He slits his throat. This is all about us keeping this quiet. Keeping the upper hand. They're not expecting us. From there we fan out. Knives and silenced weapons. We need to be fast." he drew on the makeshift map he'd made on in the dust on the floor. Tyreese and Sash, take them. Daryl, you take care of whoever's in the kitchen. I got Dawn. If they're smart, the rest of them will give up Then it'll be five on three. Seven on three once we get a weapon to Beth and Vickie."

"Thirteen on three." Noah spoke up. "The ward's will help."

"That's best case." it was obvious Ty didn't like the plan. "What's worse case? All it takes is one of those cops going down the hall at the wrong time. Then it's not quiet. All hands on deck. We're talking about a lot of bullets flying around."

"If that's what it takes." Sasha shrugged.

"It's not." Ty shook his head. "If we get a couple of her cops, alive, out here, we do an even trade. Theirs for ours. Everybody goes home."

"Yeah, I get it." Rick stood. "And it might work. This will work."

I thought about it, and to tell you the truth, it sounded better than going guns blazing. Rick's way was good, yes, but it had more risks that could end up leaving our people hurt. I couldn't risk that. I owed Beth, Carol and Vic. They'd all saved me in some kind of way. And I loved Vic. I didn't want to make this about her, but I loved her, and I couldn't lose her again. I  _wouldn't_ , lose her again.

"Nah, that'll work, too." I nodded to Tyreese before looking to Noah. "You say this Dawn, she's just trying to keep it together, right?"

"Trying and doing are two different things."

I shrugged. "We take two of her cops away, what choices does she have? Everybody goes home. Like he said."

**CPOV**

I set all the weapons we had on the ground in front of Gabriel as he scrubbed the blood stained floor. We didn't have time to worry about dirt and messes. He had to learn how to defend himself, and now was the perfect time.

I gestured to the line of weapons. "Pick one. You need to learn how to defend yourself. We can teach you."

He stopped scrubbing, looking up at me. "Defend myself? They said they'd go."

"They were liars and murderers."

"Just like us."

"We protected ourselves. They wanted us dead." I looked around the place. "You're lucky your church has lasted this long. You can't stay in one place any more. Not for too long. And- and once you're out there, you're gonna find trouble you can't hide from. You need to know how to fight."

He hesitated before reaching forward, grabbing a machete.

"Good choice." I nodded. "But you're not holding it right. You've got to be able to drive it down 'cause sometimes their skulls aren't as soft, and you need to be able-"

"Yeah, I'm- I'm sorry." he cut me off. "No." he stood, looking sick. "I need to lie down." he said before walking into the office, still holding the machete.

Aly walked up to the weapons, grabbing a knife. She looked up. "Teach me?"

I nodded. "But first I'll show you without the knife." I told her, taking it out of her hand and setting it back down on the ground.

**VPOV**

I rubbed the bruise on my wrist, looking down at the purple hand print on my skin. The cop, who I learnt was named O'Donnell, had been rough last night. He'd held my arm behind my back so hard I thought my shoulder and elbow were going to dislocate, or maybe a bone would break. I still hurt all over and I felt disgusting. But even after showering, where I'd scrubbed my skin until it was red raw, I still felt as if he was pressed still against me. I shuddered at the memory.

 _Please, anybody, get me out of here._  I begged, looking out the window of my room.

I was O'Donnell's ward which meant he gave me jobs to do, and today, all he'd wanted was for me to clean his room, put his DVD player on charge and then come back to my room where I had to wait for him.

"Vickie?" Beth's little voice caught my attention as she stood in my door way.

I turned to her, giving a little smile even though I knew it wouldn't reach my eyes. "Hey, what's up?"

She looked me over, her eyes going wide. "What did he do to you?" she asked, storming towards me as she reached for my wrist.

Shaking my head, I pulled my arm from her grasp. "I'm fine Beth. Just..." I sighed. "What's up?"

"Dawn gave me the key to the medicine cabinet. I'm gonna help Carol."

One look in her eyes and I knew she needed my help. Beth was strong and smart, people ought to give her more credit. But we both knew, when it came to things these days, I was the more experienced one with dealing things. The world had changed me, I'd adapted fast and hard, which is why she'd come straight to me for help.

"So what do you need from me?" I asked with a small smile, enjoying the idea of getting a distraction. But when she looked down at my wrist, my stomach twisted into knots as I realized what she'd come here for. "You were hoping I could distract O'Donnell, right?"

She looked up at me with wide, apologetic eyes. "Yeah, but-"

I cut her off. "It's fine."

I knew what she was going to say. That it doesn't matter. That she'll figure out another way. But there were more cops here, not just O'Donnell, and she needed help to distract all of them. If it meant helping Carol, I would do it... I would do anything for the people I care about. Always have, and always will. It's a flaw of mine in a way, because it puts me in positions like this.

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking up at my with a eyes that tugged on my heart. I couldn't let her down.

Resting my hand on her shoulder, I gave a short nod. "In the world today Beth, I've been through worse." it was a lie, I'd never felt as violated and horrible as I had last night. Even when I'd killed people, I hadn't felt as bad as I did when he had... I couldn't even think about it anymore... "Let's just get this over and done with."

**RPOV**

We moved around the corner, guns raised, aimed at the cops as they zip tied Noah's hands. A male and female, both dressed in full uniform as if the world hadn't fallen apart and they were still on the job.

"Where are those rotters you were shooting at?" the male cop asked Noah.

I whistled getting their attention. The cops both turned, guns now raised at us. "Hands." I told them simply, knowing we out numbered them.

"What do you want?" the girl asked.

"Whatever this is, we can help." the man tried to negotiate, but we had a plan and I wasn't going to stray from it.

"You do what we say, we don't hurt you." I told them simply.

He guy raised his hands, giving in. "Okay." with that, the girl did the same.

"Good." I nodded. "Now, turn around. Put your guns on the floor and kneel." they did as I said, Daryl and Sasha grabbing their guns and zip tying them as Tyresse let Noah's hands free. "We need to talk. There's water if you need some, and food."

"Mind if I ask you something?" the guy asked as I started to walk away. I stopped, turning to him. He got to his feet, going on. "The way you talk, the way you carry yourself. Were you a cop?" I didn't say anything, but he could tell. "Believe it or not, I was, too." he chuckled.

"That's Lamson." Noah stepped towards me. "He'll be down for this. He's one of the good ones."

Tires screeching, a motor getting louder, we all looked up to see a cop car speeding our way. Guns raised, we started shooting instantly, but the car didn't stop, still coming for us. I jumped out of the way, ducking behind some large boxes with the others before the car got me. It stopped, the driver shooting at us as the other cops jumped in the back seat. We tried shoot back, but they got away.

Sasha moved, hitting one of their tires as they rounded a corner. We rushed to follow, seeing the car doors opened, the vehicle abandoned in a filled that had been napalmed, walker bodies singed to the concrete floor. Noise caught our attention before we saw the tow cops we'd grabbed before, running away.

"Two. On me." I told the others as we ran to catch them.

**DPOV**

I was following Rick and the others, but stopped by the car, hearing something. We'd only seen the two cops, he third could have still been around here somewhere. So I decided to check it out. The car was empty. Moving forward I headed for the half burnt and destroyed camper van. Carefully and slowly, I opened the door, checking inside, making sure it was clear. Once I knew it was, I went to close the door.

The cop came out of nowhere throwing himself at me, knocking at the the ground. It was there we struggled as we fought against each other. He was on top of me, trying to push my head towards one of the walkers near us as I tried to push him off me. I reached over, feeling a walker's head, trying to get a grip. Eventually I managed to grabbed it, my fingers going into it's nose as I ripped the head from the body before using it as a weapon, knocking the cop off me.

He was just about to get to his feet when Rick was suddenly in front of us, gun pointed at the cop, that look in his eyes he get whenever he was ready to take things to the next level. Leave all morals behind.

"Okay." the cop nodded, giving in. "You win, asshole."

But Rick didn't lower his gun...

"Rick." I got to my feet. "Rick, three's better than two." I told him. "Think about Vic. Carol and Beth. Three's better."

He hesitated before lowering his gun, giving me a small nod.

**VPOV**

O'Donnell pushed me against the wall, his mouth on my neck as he ripped my shirt from top to bottom revealing my chest, as his hands roamed my body. I'd played interested, it was my safest bet. So here I was, pressed against a hard place and an asshole who was ready to do anything and everything to me.

"I knew you'd want more." he groaned, pulling down the bra I wore, his mouth leaving wet trails over my chest. "Knew you'd like it." he bit the top of my breast hard.

I jumped a little at the pain, making a small noise, my body pressing against his a little more. But he'd taken it the wrong way, thinking it was out of pleasure.

Running his tongue over my scars he moaned. "All mine."

A tear ran down my cheek as I kept my eyes on the roof, trying to think of anything but Daryl and how I was betraying him. Because even if I didn't want this, I was his, and someone else was touching me... O'Donnell was leaving marks on my skin now, sucking on places to make little bruises, hickies... He was doing things to me I'd only ever let Daryl do. He was touching me in places that had only ever been touched by Daryl. But unlike the times with Daryl, I felt no heat or desire. No, instead I felt cold and dead inside, sick to my stomach, and ashamed.

Oh, God I felt so ashamed. I couldn't believe this is where I'd ended up. I couldn't believe I allowed myself to be put in a situation like this. I couldn't believe I wasn't fighting back.

All I could do was silently let tears roll down my face as I looked up at the roof, praying to whoever or whatever was listening.  _Please let me get through this. Please. I'm doing this for the people I love. Let me get through it for their sake. Please keep me strong..._

The sound of someone coughing down the hall had him look up and towards the door. I knew it was one of the elderly ward's. Beth had told me her plan. How she'd found a way to get a ward, an old man, to help. It didn't take a genius for me to figure out he was coughing to distract the cops, which meant Beth's plan was in motion.

O'Donnell turned to me, as if he was thinking it over. He didn't even noticed my tear streaked cheeks, or my red and watery eyes. Well, either he didn't notice or he didn't care. Instead he had one thing on his mind. Should he stay with me, or should he go do his job and check the ward? It didn't take long for him to make up his mind.

"Screw it." his hand cupped my cheek before he pulled my face to his. smashing our lips together in a forced and sloppy kiss. Clearly, he'd chosen to stay.

**RPOV**

I was crouched down in front of one of the cops, the one who'd noticed I was an officer, the only one who seemed to be willing to help us. Sergeant Lamson was his name, we'd learnt. Apparently, he was next in line to run the hospital. Yet he was still helping us...

"She'll tell you she won't make a deal. She'll tell you she won't compromise, but she will. She always does. Just... just know who you're talking to."

I nodded. "Probably heading out in the next ten minutes or so. Anything you need before we leave?"

"Actually, water would be great." he shrugged.

I turned to Sasha, giving her a nod before looking back to him. "Will do. Thanks, Sergeant Lamson." I stood.

"My name's Bob." he called.

I stopped, turning to him. "You're still a cop."

He shook his head. "No. No, the real one's are all gone."

I didn't respond, I didn't say anything back, because I didn't need to. It was the truth. The law, and anyone who'd lived by it, didn't exist any more. We lived in a world of anarchy, a place where cops and officers no longer had a place. We lived in the apocalypse...

**  
**

**Chapter 9**

**Change of Plans**

**CPOV**

Aly giggled, watching as Judith tried to catch Houdini's tail as he wagged it. I sat with them, doing my best to keep the girl occupied, to keep Aly's mind off the fact Daryl and Vickie weren't here.

"Please! Let me in!"

I looked towards where the voice had come from before turning to Michonne, seeing her looking as well, her eyes wide.

"Carl?" Aly got to her feet, grabbing her toys. "Where's Gabriel?"

He was outside... screaming...

"Please! Let me in! They're close! Help! They're coming! Please, don't leave me out here! Please! Don't leave me out here!" there was banging on the door as he kept yelling. "Carl! Michonne! I had to see it! I know now! Let me live with it! Oh, God, please! Help!"

I ran for the door, moving to help him, to let him in.

"Wait!" Michonne called, as she pulled Judith on to her back.

"Let me in! Oh, God, please!" Gabriel kept screaming.

I got to the door, grabbing the plank of wood we'd nailed against it, trying to pull it off, but it wouldn't budge.

"Carl! Michonne!"

"Get back." Michonne stepped forward holding one of the axes. "Stay with Aly, get ready." she told me before lifting the axe and swinging it against the plank.

"Please! Help! Help me! Let me in!"

I raised my gun, staying in front of Aly and Houdini as Michonne managed to finally pry the plank from the doors, opening them.

"Come on!" she gestured for Gabriel to hurry in.

He turned, rushing inside as fast as he could, but it wasn't fast enough. Walkers were right behind him, and we didn't have enough time to close the doors.

"Get back!" Michonne yelled as I shot the first two walkers, more coming in.

She pulled her sword out, slicing, cutting and stabbing the walkers as they kept coming, more and more. There were so many.

"The rectory!" Gabriel called. "Come on!" we all turned for one of the two room, the priest pushing the door open as we all rushed inside, before he slammed it closed, pressing his body against it.

Some of the floor boards had been pulled up, making a whole big enough for someone to sneak out of...

"That's how I got out." Gabriel told us. "Crawl under to the back. Just go. Take the little ones and go!"

I got to the ground, my legs falling into the hole. "Aly." I held my arms out to her. She grabbed a hold of me as I grabbed her, setting her on the dirt under the church. "Go." I nodded.

She didn't hesitate, crawling under and disappearing. Houdini jumped down next, following Aly, always staying close to her.

"Carl." Michonne called my name. I looked up just in time, seeing her hand Judith over. "You wait for me, okay."

I gave a short nod, adjusting my hold on Judy before I made my way down on to my knees, crawling along the ground, heading for the back of the church. As soon as I was out, I got to my feet, holding Judith with one arm, and pulling my gun out with my free hand.

Aly stood next to me, gently tugging on Judith's carrier as my baby sister cried. "It's okay. It's okay. You're safe, Judith. Carl's got you." she repeated over and over as Judith looked down at her, slowly calming.

Michonne crawled out from under the church, getting to her knees and checking Aly over, making sure she was okay. She looked up at me, both of us sharing a look, which I nodded to, telling her Judith and I were okay. We waited for a moment longer until Gabriel's head poped out of the hole as he managed to pull himself out and up, with a little help from Michonne.

He looked to her, shaking his head. "I can't run any more."

"We're not running." she told him simply.

We moved around to the front of the church. Michonne handed Judith to Gabriel, telling him to wait over by a tree with Houdini and Aly, while the two of us dealt with the walkers. The ones stuck to the organ pipes were easy enough. Just a stab to the head and move on. Once they were all dead, we climbed the couple stairs, holding some spare wooden planks from the windows, and a few screws.

Closing the doors, I used the butt of my gun to hammer the screws through the boards to the doors as Michonne used her belt to tie the handles together. It wasn't much, but it was the best we could do for now.

**DPOV**

I paced, waiting for Rick. Things had gone south. The cop who'd said he'd help us, ended up double crossing us instead. He tricked Sasha, knocked her out and made a run for it. Now, Rick was out in the city, alone, looking for the asshole...

We all turned at the sound of footsteps, seeing Rick walking towards us. But there was no cop. Just him. I met him halfway, turning away from the others, speaking among ourselves.

"He wouldn't stop."

I looked to the ground. "This changes things."

"It has to. The guy that said the plan would work, is dead. Now you've got two hostages, when they've got three of our people. We gotta rethink this." he was right, what we had in front of us didn't stand much of a chance, but it was still better than going in bullets flying. People would get hurt that way.

"They said the cop in charge didn't have any love for him." I noted. "Maybe, you did her a favour."

"I don't know if they'll play ball."

I shrugged. "Let's find out."

Turning around, we moved to the others, the two cops sitting on cinder blocks, zip ties, Tyreese, Noah and Sasha staying close to them. We weren't going to be tricked again. We weren't losing anymore leverage.

"He was a good man." the woman sighed, lifting her eyes to Rick. "He was attacked by rotters. I saw it go down"

He nodded. "You're a damn good liar."

It was true. I'd never seen someone lie like that before. She'd convince anyone...

"We're hanging by a thread here." she repeated herself. "He was attacked by rotters. That's the story."

I shook my head. "You said the trade was a bad idea. What changed?"

"Lamson was our shot." she answered. "So, it's this, or you go in guns blazing, right? You don't want that."

"That's some bullshit you're spinning and things go south-"

She cut me off. "I know. I know the good ones from the bad. So let us help you."

Rick watched her carefully before turning to the man. "What about you? You wanna live? How much?"

"Dawns afraid she'll look weak in front of us. Thinks it'll tip things against her. Hell it will. She'll see this trade as a rip off if she thinks you took out one of our guys." he looked from the other cop back to Rick. "So, it's a good thing Lamson got aced by rotters."

Rick turned to me, both of us sharing a look as we made a decision. The plan was still ago... it just better work out the way it's supposed to.

**CPOV**

"Carl?" Aly stepped up to me, hand holding on to Houdini's collar.

"Yeah?"

She looked up at me. "You think Daryl and the others will be back soon?"

I sighed, kneeling down in front of her. "I don't know. But they will be back."

She looked over my shoulder at Judith, who was fast asleep. "I know I gotta be brave, for baby Judy." she nodded. "So I'm gonna."

I gave her a little smile, reaching forward to pat Houdini's head. "I think that's a good idea."

Suddenly one of the boards on the church doors fell off as the walkers pushed and pressed against it harder. The doors rocked, slowly giving way. It wouldn't be long before they opened now...

I got to my feet, moving Aly behind me as I looked to Michonne. "Where do we go?"

We had no food. No water. Hardly any weapons. It was all in the church still. We didn't know the area, and we didn't have enough people. The other's wouldn't know where to find us, and we couldn't just  _walk_  to Atlanta...

Out of nowhere a fire truck came speeding down the road, heading right for the church, stopping as it slid against the wall, blocking the church doors.

Abraham got out from the driver's side, Maggie and Glenn following him and Rosita and Tara got out from the back seats.

"Maggie!" Aly beamed.

Maggie bent down, picking Aly up, smiling. "Hey. You okay?"

Aly nodded, shifting so she could look at Maggie. "We're okay."

Michonne stepped forward, smiling at our friends. "You're back."

Glenn nodded, not smiling back. "Eugene lied. He can't stop it. Washington isn't the end."

I ignored the gut wrenching feeling of failure and loss. Our one hope of ending all this mayhem, was gone. But we couldn't dwell. Things like that, we just have to move on.

"Where is everybody?" Glenn asked, looking from Michonne to me.

"Bad people have Carol and Vickie." Aly nodded. "They went to save Beth, but they got caught."

Maggie's eyes went wide. "Beth's alive."

Michonne nodded, reaching forward to grab Aly. "She's in a hospital in Atlanta. The others went to get her back."

"Do we know which one?" Maggie asked, voice breaking.

"Grady Memorial." Michonne answered, setting Aly back down.

"Oh, my God." Maggie started crying, throwing her arms around Glenn, holding him as tear fell down her cheeks.

Aly walked up to me. "Why's Maggie sad?"

I shook my head. "She'd not sad. Those are happy tears." I explained, smiling down at her as my hand slipped into her's.

"Let's blow this joint." Tara chuckled. "Go save your sister."

**VPOV**

"Daryl, he missed you." Beth told me. "Every day. I could tell."

Beth and I sat by open elevator doors, our feet hanging over the edge, our heads resting on the wall. She'd found me earlier, brought me here, knowing I needed to get away from everything. O'Donnell was a pig. He hardly ever let me out of his sight, always touching me when he got the chance, and I hadn't even been here two nights yet.

I sighed, rubbing my sore wrist. "When he told me you two got out together... I thought it was funny, 'cause I got out with Zach."

She looked over at me, eyes sad. "What happened to him?"

"We were running from walkers, but he was still weak from being sick. He tripped, and I lost him. I went back... but it was too late. He'd been bit."

"Did you-"

I cut her off, shaking my head. "No. I would have. I was going to. But he stopped me. He didn't want me to have to deal with that, killing him. He knew I'd already been through a lot. So... I just left him." I think that had been worse for me, leaving him like that. It would have been so much easier if he'd just let me kill him, put him out of his misery, and end it all then. "He wandered the woods for two days before Daryl ended up finding him. Zach told him I was safe, with Aly, but it didn't really matter, we could have been anywhere. So Daryl, he just ended it. Zach wouldn't have lasted much longer any way."

I should have been able to do it. I would have. It would have made things easier, for all of us...

"Daryl and I, we went to a golf club, found somethings. There was a ring..." she gave a little laugh. "I told Daryl he should give it to you when he saw you next. He looked so scared, like he thought that was the craziest idea."

I chuckled. "I don't think Daryl's the marrying type. We're not like Maggie and Glenn."

She shrugged. "But you love each other."

I did. I loved Daryl like I'd never loved anyone. It wasn't like the others, our family, and it wasn't like Aly. It definitely wasn't like Shane. No, there was something more, something we had both needed and found in each other. We made each other better.

"You two gonna jump?"

We turned around at the sound of Dawn's voice, seeing her walk towards us, moving to lean against the wall behind me.

Beth shrugged. "We wanted to be alone. You left your elevator key where it was."

"Well, I know you're not going anywhere." Dawn shrugged. "Either of you."

"Neither are you." Beth countered. She was different than she'd been at the prison. Confident, strong, brave. "You keep telling yourself you have to do whatever it takes, just until this is all over. But it isn't over. This is it."

I looked from Beth to Dawn and then back. "They're waiting for a rescue, aren't they?"

It all made sense then, why they were still trying to pretend being cops mattered, keeping the face of the world before on, even though their minds had changed to cope with the world in front of them.

Beth nodded. "They think things are gonna change. But this is it. This is what this place is gonna be until the end."

"This place saved you." Dawn noted, looking at Beth, as if I wasn't even there. "I saved you. Twice. The others don't know what you did." she started to walk towards us. "They think Joan was trying to get back at me, and that Gorman and Jeffries were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"That's what happened." Beth insisted, both of them talking about something I had no idea about.

"Bullshit. I saw the smashed jar. I closed up my office and I fixed it before it could be a problem." Dawn shrugged. "You're a cop killer."

I got to my feet. "Beth would  _never_  kill somebody."

"But she did." Dawn kept looking down at Beth. "What do you think would happen if the others found out? I protected you. And we helped that patient." she nodded to me. "Her friend. I didn't have to do that, I wanted to. But there's a way things have to happen here. Don't you get that?"

The door closed, all of us turned to look at it, seeing O'Donnell staring at the three of us.

**  
**

**Chapter 10**

**I Get It Now**

**VPOV**

"I was just looking for Victoria." O'Donnell stepped into the light. "Never thought I'd find this."

I stepped forward, ready to do whatever it would take to fix this. "I was just about to come find you..."

This man scared me, even though I knew I could defend myself. It was what he could do to Carol and Beth that scared me. It was what he could do to everyone else, the weaker people who had no control over their lives. All the wards here, including myself, did not have that control, and people like O'Donnell used that fact to create their own comfortable and easy lives.

The world that had changed and become a battle of survival didn't exist inside these walls. Instead their was a different battle between the weak and the cruel. Unfortunately I landed in the former category. I may be strong, and able, but my choices had been taken from me the moment these people got their hands on Carol and Beth. And that, is what had me willing to do whatever it took to keep O'Donnell and the other officers satisfied.

He shook his head. "Don't think I'm stupid, Victoria." he looked over my shoulder to the others. "What are you gonna do about this Dawn? About her?" he nodded to Beth.

"She's my ward. It's my call."

"Fine." he shrugged walking forward. "But your people deserve to know who they're working for. So, you gonna tell them, or am I?"

I turned, my back to the wall, standing an equal distance between Dawn and O'Donnell now. I had no idea where to go...

Dawn moved a little closer, shaking her head. "You don't get to threaten me."

"That's not a threat, but these are the facts. You look like shit. The guys were talking. They think you're cracking. This is Hanson all over again. It's time to make a change." O'Donnell gestured to me, turning for the door. "Victoria, come on."

"O'Donnell. You're wrong." Dawn lifted her gun aiming it at him as she looked to me. "Go stand with Beth." I didn't waste time, moving to where Beth stood in the corner, back by the elevator. "I'm nothing like Hanson. I was the one who killed him, remember that? I was the only one who could go through with it."

He turned to her. "Lower your weapon, Dawn. All I have to do is shout."

"All I have to do is say you came at me." she countered. "Girls, get out of the way."

Beth and I moved to the other side of the hall, pressing our backs to the wall. I kept her behind me, ready to do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

"You're not gonna do this." O'Donnell was calling Dawn's bluff.

But she kept her gun aimed at him, and I honestly thought she'd shoot him, no second thoughts, no remorse. "You're not giving me a choice." she gestured for him to move towards the elevator. "Go."

"We were rookies together." he tried reasoning with her as he started to walk, doing as she said, slowly. "You knew my wife. You were here in this hospital having cigars with me in the parking lot when my kid was born."

"Don't." she warned, wanting him to shut up. "That guy is gone. We're supposed to protect people. To help them. But look at you. You're beating the old man, laughing with your buddies about that poor girl.  _Raping_  Victoria." she shook her head. "That's who you are now."

"So, who the hell are you?"

"Somebody who's not gonna let it happen any more."

"That's not what this is about. It's about holding on to what you have."

"What the hell do I have?" a tear ran down Dawn's cheek.

"This isn't you. After Hanson, you changed..." suddenly O'Donnell pushed her hands out of the way, knocking the gun out of her grip as he slammed her against the wall, kicking the gun away, the weapon sliding along the floor moving towards the elevator.

I moved quick, putting my foot in it's way and picking it up while the cops were distracted. I turned to Beth, tucking the gun in my pants, putting my shirt over it. If Dawn couldn't handle herself, and O'Donnell started winning, I'd pull it back out and help her, I'd rather Dawn in charge than any of the others... But for now, I was keeping the gun hidden, just in case there came a time I might need it in the future.

Dawn elbowed O'Donnell, kneeing him in the stomach and then slamming her fist into his face, sending him to the other side of the hall. But he recovered pretty fast as they continued to fight and struggle against each other. Slowly, they started moving towards Beth and I. I grabbed Beth, moving us over and away to the other side, keeping her behind me.

O'Donnell grabbed Dawn, slamming her against the wall, lifting her by the throat and holding her in the air as he choked her. "You think you're better than us?" he yelled in her face.

Beth pushed past me, reaching for him.

He pushed her back, sending her to the floor. "Stay in your lane, bitch!"

That was enough.

As he turned back to Dawn I rushed forward punching him in his back. He turned, pissed, but I dodged him as he tried to grab me. Reaching forward I slammed my fist into his throat breaking his larynx. Dawn grabbed him from behind, kneeing him in the back before letting him go. I stepped back as he stumbled forward, waiting until he was at the right spot before...

Sending my foot forward, into his chest, I kicked him into the elevator shaft, sending him down the hole, where he fell to the basement floor. His screamed eachoed off the walls before we heard the sound of a final thud, followed by the moans of walkers.

Beth, now on her feet, joined me as we looked down, barely able to see the body as walker's descended on it.

Dawn came beside me, looking down as well. "Thank you." she panted, turning to Beth and myself. "Both of you."

**RPOV**

I stood on the top level of a parking lot waiting. We'd radioed some other officers, telling them to meet me up here. We were ready for the trade now. It was time to get our people back... to get my daughter back.

" _They're headed towards the vantage point."_  Tyreese called over the walkie talkie.

"Okay." I nodded, responding to them. "Copy that." I turned as they the car came up, holstering the walkie talking, putting my hands in the and waiting. They slowly came to a stop, getting outwith their guns aimed. "Officer Franco, Officer McKinley, I'm Rick Grimes. I was a deputy in the King County Sheriff's Department. I'm here to make a proposal."

"Lay your weapon on the ground." the short one ordered.

"All right." I moved slowly, one arm still raised as I out my gun down before standing back up.

They closed their cars doors, coming around and closer to me, guns still raised.

The short one gave a slight nod. "What's you proposal."

"You have some of my people, I have some of yours. We want to make an exchange. Then we'll be on our way. No one gets hurt." I shrugged.

"Who?" it seemed the short one was in charge here.

"Officers Shepherd and Licari for Beth, Vickie -Victoria- and Carol." when they looked confused, I gathered Carol hadn't woken up yet. "You picked up a woman yesterday after your people hit her with a car, she was with a girl."

They both looked to each other, a hint of guilt in their eyes. But the short one recovered, speaking again. "Noah, he's with you? That's how you know?"

I nodded. "Yes, he is."

"What about Officer Lamson?"

"He was attacked by the dead before we got to him."

They lowered their guns slightly then as the tall one looked around. "Where are you people?"

A walker had managed to make it's way up here, heading for us. Before it got too close, it was shot down, a bullet to the head by either Daryl or Sasha.

I shrugged. "They're close." I watched as they scanned the area and rooftops. "Radio your lieutenant. I'll wait." I told them, taking a step back.

**VPOV**

I pulled my boots on over my dirty, ripped jeans, back in my black shirt as well. I could feel the gun I'd grabbed earlier pressed to my back, tucked into my shirt. If I closed my eyes and really tried hard, it felt as if I was back outside. Wearing  _my_  clothes, holding a gun, it felt real...

Walking out of the room I hated more than I hated walkers and the world today, I left the place for the last time, joining Beth as we walked down the hall in silence, heading for Carol's room. Beth was out of the scrubs too, dressed in ripped jeans, boots, a yellow collared top and grey cardigan. Seeing her like that, it really put the situation in perspective. We were finally getting out of here.

Outside of Beth's room stood Edwards, the resident doctor. I'd seen him on occasion, as I walked the halls, he'd go in and out of rooms checking on people. But we hadn't spoken, not really. He stood behind a wheelchair, Carol seated in it, dressed in her clothes once more.

I smiled, rushing up to Carol. I hadn't seen her awake yet. Dawn had found me in my room to tell me to get dressed and get ready. To tell me our people were coming to get us. But now I was finally seeing Carol, awake, and well alive, and everything felt like it was going to be okay. She smiled up at me, gently and carefully reaching for my hand as I knelt beside her. We nodded to each other, turning to look over my shoulder at Beth. All three of us, we were getting out together. We were going home. To our family.

Standing once more, Beth and I moved to stand behind the wheelchair, Beth's hands grasping the handles as we started to walk forward, heading for the main hallway where Dawn told us to meet. Edwards stayed with us, close behind. As we rounded the last corner, we walked a few more steps, stopping behind Dawn and three other cops, who had their guns out and ready, just in case.

With a nod from Dawn, they all put their weapons away as she reached for the radio on her shoulder. "Holster you weapons."

We waited, my heart racing as the doors n the other end of the hallway opened. Two police officers walked through first, moving towards us. But I didn't care about them, the people behind them were the ones that had me shaking with anticipation.

Dad, with an officer in front of him. Daryl, with another officer in front of him. Tyreese, Sasha and the kid I'd met yesterday standing at the back.

Dawn turned to Beth, Carol and myself, her officers by us moving to make a path, letting the three of us move forward to the front of the group.

"They haven't been harmed." dad called, talking about the officers our people held captive.

Dawn shook he head. "Where's Lamson?"

"Rotters got him." the woman officer in front of dad answered.

The male officer in front of Daryl nodded. "We saw it go down."

"Oh." Dawn nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that. He was one of the good guys." she hesitated before gesturing to us. "One at a time." she told dad.

"All right." dad nodded.

One of the officers moved forward, taking Beth's spot behind Carol, wheeling her towards our people. Tyreese stepped forward, meeting them half way, taking the wheelchair from the cop carefully before turning back to our group.

The cop waited as Daryl stepped forward. "Move." he ordered the officer in front of him, moving to the middle of the hallway, handing the cop over before waiting.

Once both cops were back with us, Dawn turned to me. "Take the bag. All of your things are inside. Weapons. Supplies. We didn't touch any of it."

I turned to look at the bag, seeing it in one of the officers hands. He nodded, gesturing for me to move, and so I did, the cop staying behind me, escorting me towards Daryl. Daryl had his arm out, reaching for me. As soon as I was close enough, he grabbed my shoulder, pulling me to him, and I flinched.

I didn't want Daryl to touch me...

My body still hurt from everything O'Donnell had done to me. But it wasn't just that. I felt wrong, gross, inhuman, and certainly not worthy of Daryl's comfort or affection. I was ashamed at the fact I'd let O'Donnell violate and destroy a part of me that had been connected to my love for Daryl. The moment he'd touched me, the moment he'd tainted the loving memories I'd held, was the moment I knew I'd changed, and I wasn't sure if that could ever be fixed. I knew it was stupid, and I knew that if I told someone and talked about it, there was a chance things could get better, but at the same time I didn't want any pity or judgement...

He must have noticed my flinch because the moment I had, his eyes locked on to mine, filled with confusion and concern. But he didn't say anything. He just turned to grab the bag from the officer before moving us towards our group without trying to touch me again.

Dad moved next, the woman in front of him stepping forward as he lead her to the officer still standing in the middle. They did the trade, and dad waited as Dawn brought Beth forward. He nodded to Beth as she stepped towards him, bringing her close as he rested his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, both of them turning to come back to us.

"Glad we could work things out." Dawn spoke, not moving from where she stood in the middle of the hall still.

Dad let Beth go, turning to Dawn. "Yeah." he was leaving it there, ready to go. Nodding to the rest of us we all went to leave, a weight lifted off my chest at the thought of never having to see these people or this place ever again.

But Dawn stopped him. She stopped all of us. "Now I just need Noah. And then you can leave."

I gathered she was taking about the kid that Carol Daryl and I found in the city, and even though I didn't know him, I still stood in front of him protectively. He was not going back in there. Not if he didn't want to. No one should have to be left in a place like this. Even though it was only one person, I didn't care. I would fight to keep him protect and safe. There was no way I was letting another human being go through even the slightest amount of pain and horror I'd lived through these last few days, locked up in this hospital.

Dad walked forward, the kid, Beth, Daryl and myself close behind. "That wasn't part of the deal." he shook his head.

"Noah was my ward." Dawn started, trying to explain as if she actually had a right to keep a person. "Beth took his place and I'm losing her, so I need him back."

"Ma`am, please." the female officer dad had brought back started. "That's-"

Dawn cut her off. "Shepherd." she warned, still looking at dad. "My officers put their lives on the line to find him. One of them died."

"He ain't staying." Daryl moved to stand in front of Noah protectively.

"He's one of mine. You have no claim on him." Dawn wasn't letting this go.

Dad, clearly pissed, gestured to Noah. "The boy wants to go home, so you have no claim on him." dad countered.

"Well, then we don't have a deal." Dawn shrugged.

Dad shook his head. "The deal is done."

"It- it's okay." suddenly Noah moved forward, limping towards Dawn.

"No." dad wasn't having it, grabbing the kid's shoulder to stop him. "No."

Noah looked at him, shaking his head. "I gotta do it." he pulled out a gun that had been tucked in the back of his pants, handing it over to dad.

He could see what was unfolding in front of everyone. Dad and Dawn were at a crossroads and neither were willing to back off. The only way this was going to end- besides Noah giving himself up- would be full of blood and mess. This was the easy way. But that didn't mean it was the right way, and Beth seemed to agree.

Beth shook her head. "It's not okay."

"It's settled." Dawn stated as Noah moved towards her and the other officers.

"Wait!" Beth called before she rushed forward, throwing her arms around Noah as he turned to her.

I saw him smile, and at that moment, right there, I could tell he'd fallen just like Jimmy and Zach... Beth was just the kind of girl guys fall for and I couldn't blame him. It had taken me awhile to see it, to notice Beth, but over time I'd come to know what kind of person she is, and what I found was a beautiful, caring, smart, gentle, strong, determined, capable woman. Even I'd been unable to dodge her charm, and from that a friendship had grown between us.

"It's okay." he tried to reassure her as he held her to him.

Dawn looked at the pair, her eyes on Noah. "I knew you'd be back." she sounded so pleased with herself and it made me sick.

Beth, seeing the look on Dawn's face over Noah's shoulder, slowly lowered her arms, letting him step back as she moved to stand in front of Dawn. "I get it now..."

Everything happened so fast I wasn't really sure it actually happened until I fell to my knees by the body.

Beth pulled out something she'd hidden in her cast. Moving quickly she stabbed Dawn. But she hadn't thought it all the way through, or really looked at what she was doing, which is how the object she'd stabbed the officer with dug into the hard bullet proof vest instead of skin... Dawn, who was a trained police officer, reacted without hesitation. She pulled out her gun before anyone could stop her, and shot Beth right in the head, killing her instantly...

"No!" I screamed as tears ran down my face. Holding on to Beth's hand I shook my head. "No!"

I looked up at Dawn, seeing that it was a pair of scissors Beth had tried to stab her with. Looking just as shocked as the rest of us, she shook her her, looking at everyone else before her eyes landed on mine. "I didn't mean-"

I didn't care. Moving without thinking, without hesitating, without remorse, without guilt. I stood, pulling out the gun I'd taken earlier and raised it to pull the trigger. My aim was perfect, pointing right at her face that was still full of shock and now fear... But before I could make the shot, before I could get her as she'd gotten Beth, her head flung back as someone else shot her- who, I do not know.

She fell to the ground.

In a matter of seconds, everyone suddenly had their guns raised.

"No, hold your fire!" the woman dad had brought back ordered the officers. "It's over. It was just about her. Stand down!"

I didn't care what any of them did.

I dropped my gun, falling to my knees once more, landing in a puddle of blood. Looking down at Beth as tears poured down my face, I grabbed her head and pulled it to my lap. Reaching for her hand once more I shook my head and began to gently rock as my other hand brushed her hair out of her face. "No, no, no." I cried. "Beth. Not you. No."

"You can stay." the female officer who had spoke before offered.

"We're surviving here." Edwards, the doctor, added. "It's better than out there."

"No." dad's voice shook, standing behind me. "And I'm taking anyone back there who wants to leave. I you want to come with us, just step forward now."

No one moved except Noah, who slowly came to stand on the other side of Beth. But all I could see were his shoes. I wouldn't look up. I couldn't look up.

She'd been so strong and yet so kind. She'd been one of the only innocent souls left that also understood how the world had changed. She was what I wanted to be. A better person who didn't let the pain and misery change what she was before all of this, unless it made her stronger but never harder. And she'd been my friend. She'd been the light in this dark place that kept me going. She'd been a reminder of what I'd been fighting for. She'd been a comfort. She reminded me of Maggie with the small resemblances between the two. She reminded me of Daryl with the stories she told me of the time we'd all be separated and they were together. She reminded me of Aly and Judith with the way she cared for me. She reminded me of Carl in her youth. And she reminded me of home.

A hand rested on my shoulder. "Vickie." dad knelt by me. "Vickie, come on. We gotta go." I shook my head, grasping Beth's hand tighter.

How could someone like her be gone? How could the world take a soul as pure as her's? Out of all of us, she deserved to live.  _Why couldn't it have been me? I should have stopped her. I should have protected her..._ I couldn't move. Everything inside me was heavy, and numb, but yet I felt so much pain, so much loss.

Daryl moved in front of me, leaning down. Our eyes locked as I watched him, tears brimming his eyes as tears spilled out of mine. He nodded, silently telling me he understood as he carefully lifted her into his arms. As he stood, my grip on her hand loosened and fell and I looked down at the ground, the blood pooling around me filling my sight.

It felt like hours, but I'm sure only minutes went by before dad gently grabbed my arm and lifted me to my feet. Once I stood I threw myself into him and cried against his chest, feeling his arms move to wrap around and hold me as my sobs continued and my tears soaked his shirt. His hand cupped my head as he whispered words I couldn't hear over my own pain, but I'm sure they were meant for comfort and support.

**RPOV**

We walked out of the hospital, Vickie by my side, my arm around her to help keep her on her feet. She'd stopped crying, only a few sobs coming out every now and then. I think she was just numb now...

Looking ahead of us we saw the rest of our people. Michonne, Abraham, Glenn, Rosita, Tara... and Maggie. I knew what had happened. The others would have gone back to the church and Michonne and Carl would have told them what the rest of us were doing... they were here for Beth. I sadly shook my head, letting them know we'd failed. As I kept walking I let the others behind me through. Sasha, Tyreese, Carol, and then Daryl... carrying Beth.

Maggie dropped her gun, her face falling before she herself fell to her knees. "No!" she screamed, crying at the sight of her lost sister.

Beth had been one of us, and we all felt the loss. Beth would be missed by all of us.

**  
**

**Chapter 11**

**Numb**

**RPOV**

I was doing this for Beth, not just for the rest of us, not just for Noah. Glenn, Michonne, Noah and Tyreese sat in the car with me as we headed for Noah's hometown. He'd told Beth about it. How there were walls. How it was safe. She had wanted to go with him. To get him back to his family. So that's what the five of us were going to do. The rest of us were holed up somewhere safe while we checked the place out, just in case. It's better to be safe than sorry.

"How far out?" I asked Noah, as he sat in the front next to Ty who was driving.

"5 miles." he answered.

Lifting the the walkie we'd kept from the officers in Atlanta, I spoke into it. "Hey, Carol."

" _I'm here._ " she radioed back.

"We're halfway there, just wanted to check the range."

" _Everybody's holding tight. We've made it 500 miles. Maybe this could be the easy part."_

"Got to think we're due." we'd been through some pretty hard times the last few weeks- hell, months. It was about time things started going our way. "Give us 20 minutes to check in."

" _We don't hear from you, we'll come looking._ "

"Copy that." I ended the conversation, putting the walkie away.

Carol had wanted to come, she wasn't much for sitting around lately, but she was still healing. Maggie was usually part of our group when we did things like this, but she was still hurting from losing Beth. Vickie, she hadn't even spoken to anyone since we got her out of there; only a few words to Aly but other than that nothing. Daryl usually came too, but with us here and the other's in poor condition it was best he stay. Abraham was still pissed at the fact Eugene had lied. Eugene was keeping to himself, for fear of doing something wrong and then being left behind. Carl had been affected by the lose of Beth as well, though he wouldn't admit it. Then there was Sasha who was still unstable from losing Bob. The priest... well he hadn't amounted to much yet.

Besides Daryl only two seemed to be in decent shape, both mentally and physically. I trusted Rosita and Tara would keep the others safe. I had no other choices.

**VPOV**

I sat on the ground, facing an open field, my back to everyone. I hadn't changed out of my blood soaked clothes, my hair clung to my sweaty skin. I was too numb to care. The only person I'd let in since leaving the hospital was Aly, though I didn't have much of a choice- I'm just lucky she was a comfort in all of this. She seemed to understand I needed space for the moment, so she'd stuck with Carl and Judith as I sat.

Houdini laid down on the ground to my left, sighing heavily. Every now and then his eyes would flicker in my direction, but otherwise he waited patiently.

The throbbing pain I felt in my wrist didn't seem to fade, but it did help with the emotional pain. Looking down at the purple and inflamed skin I gave it a gentle poke. The throb rippled up my arm, pushing the numbness in my heart down. Preferring the physical pain over the dying guilt and sorrow I wrapped my hand around the bruise and gave a quick and hard squeeze, repeating the action over and over as I looked up at the open field once more.

**RPOV**

When we had hit two miles we ventured into the woods, found a place to keep the van, before heading for the camp on foot. Noah had insisted we didn't need to hid, that we could walk up to the gates. He was all hope and ease, truly believing that even though it had been sometime his people would let us all just walk in- if they were even there. The rest of us knew it would be the safest option to keep low and stay careful, we'd all been through enough to know how bad things can get.

"Your people do this?" Michonne gestured ahead of us.

Tied to trees, running along like a fence, were wires to keep walkers- and maybe even people- out. They way the sun hit them, the way they looked, it was easy to tell the wires would be sharp. I didn't even have to touch them to know if anyone stepped wrong they could get cut pretty badly.

Noah nodded. "They wanted to. They must have."

Carefully we made our way through the wires, going over and under, over and under. I made sure not to cut myself on any of them, moving slowly.

"Ah!" Noah stood, hand to his head where he was bleeding a little.

Moving over to him, I checked the cut. "You all right?"

"Yeah." he nodded, going on.

Seeing that he was willing to keep going I didn't feel the need to worry about it, so I pressed on as well, following him as he lead us. When we were all clear of the wire we just kept going, finding no more troubles as we finally reached the tree line, coming to a clearing.

I stopped Noah from moving out into the open. "Do they have spotters? Snipers?" we couldn't be too careful now. These people didn't know us except for Noah. They could see us as threats keeping Noah hostage.

He shrugged. "We built a perch on a truck. Sometimes it's out front."

Glenn moved forward, looking towards the fence ahead of us. He turned back, shaking his head. "Not today."

With that we all moved forward, walking along the road, heading for the large solid gates. Animal carcasses lay on the ground, flies buzzing. But that wasn't bad, what had me concerned was the gut feeling there was nothing here. The silence that was pressing on my shoulders did not leave a good feeling. People, communities, they make noise. So why was it so still out?

Noah rushed forward, pushing against the gates, pressing his ear against it. "You hear that?"

Take a moment to really listen I stood still until I could hear what he was talking about. The sound of faint snarls and moans in the distance, behind the gates to the town.

"Just wait." Glenn climbed up the side of the wall, looking over. His whole body changed as he scanned the area. Turning to us he shook his head.

It was gone.

Noah moved fast, climbing over. We couldn't let him just go off on his own, not like this. So we all followed, climbing over, getting back to the ground just as Noah began to run.

"Noah!" I called as we raced after him.

The place was abandoned, trashed, left for the dead. It was clear something very wrong happened here. What, we did not know. But any sign of life- human life- was nonexistent. We were the only living things on these streets. A few walkers roamed the neighbourhood, but other than that, there was no movement. Everything was so still, so quiet, so dead.

Noah came to a small roundabout before falling to his knees, hands clutching his head as he began to crying, taking in the surroundings of what used to be his hometown. I could only imagine what he felt.

Tyreese moved towards him, hands on his shoulders to offer some kind of support. "It's all right. You gonna be with us now."

Michonne sighed, catching my attention. I turned to her seeing a couple of walkers making their way towards us. "I'll get 'em." but she didn't move.

I crouched by Noah. "I'm sorry, Noah. I truly am." looking to the others I stood again. "We should see if there's anything we can use and head back." there was no point in staying any longer than we had to.

"Then what?" Michonne asked. I looked over at her, seeing how tired she was. She'd been out here longer than the rest of us. She turned away, looking at the walkers again. "They see us." she said simply before walking towards them.

Glenn stepped forward. "We can make a quick sweep."

Ty nodded, gesturing to Noah who was still on the ground crying. "I'll stay with him."

Now that we all had something to do, I moved to the side, pulling the walkie out. "Carol, do you copy?"

 _"We're here._ "

"We made it." I sighed, looking around. "It's gone."

 

...

 

Michonne smashed the glass of a framed softball shirt. When I turned to her she shrugged. "Clean shirt." she lifted the top.

"We'll figure it out." I reassured her.

She just nodded. "We will. There's some garbage bags in the garage." she noted, walking towards the garage of the house we stood by.

Glenn walked past me then, seeming not as disappointed as Michonne.

"You didn't think it would still be here?" I asked, causing him to stop and turn to me.

"Did you?"

I sighed. "After it happened, right after with Beth in the hospital. I saw that woman, Dawn. She didn't mean to do it. I knew it. I saw it. But I wanted to kill her. I remember I just wondered if it even mattered one way or another. Didn't have a thing to do with Beth." Glenn leaned against the car we were by as I went on, gesturing around us. "I don't know if I thought it would still be here, but Beth wanted to get him here. She wanted to get him back home. This was for her." I nodded. "And it could have been for us, too."

"I was thinking about that guy in the storage container. Back at Terminus. How I made us stop." Glenn shifted slightly, going on. "After the prison, on my trip, I got Maggie back. Things went okay. Losing Washington... Losing..." he bent down, picking up a bat. "Losing Beth, right after just finding out she's alive." he stood again. "I hadn't caught up with you yet. Before now, I wouldn't make us stop. We'd run right by. And I would've shot that woman dead. Right or wrong."

"We need to stop." we both turned to Michonne. "You can be out here too long."

**VPOV**

"You need to eat something."

Letting go of my wrist I looked over at Carl as he sat by my side, offering me some food. It appeared to be some kind of meat, but I wasn't too sure. Either way I wasn't interested.

Turning away I looked at the open field again. I had been sitting here for hours. Behind me I could hear light sobs coming from Maggie, and the quiet whispers coming from others. It was clear no one knew what to do. Dad, Glenn, Michonne and Tyresse had all left us this morning to help Noah get back to his home. The rest of us had stayed in our makeshift camp we'd built last night once we'd gotten out of Atlanta.

"Aly is worried about you.  _I'm_  worried about you." Carl sighed. "I don't know what you went through in that place, and I realize you're hurting from losing Beth. But that doesn't mean you should do this." he gestured at me. "You always shut down at times like this, and I get it, its how you deal. But please, just eat something, before you do damage to yourself."

He was right, I did shut down every time I lose someone. When we lost Jim and Amy I retreated, though not too much. When we lost Sophia, and then found her as a walker and I killed her myself, I'd run off. But then Dale died and I was pushed over the edge and shut down completely. After losing mum I'd reacted the exact same way. I bet if it hadn't of been for the fact I was on the run and taking care of Aly and Zach, I would have shut down because we'd lost Hershel. I just couldn't deal with death.

But even though I knew he had a point, I couldn't make myself move. The thought of moving any of my limbs made them feel heavier. The thought of eating any food made me feel more sick. So instead I continued to stare out at the open field and eventually Carl gave up, sighing as he got up and let me be, leaving the food on the ground by my side.

**RPOV**

After going to a few houses, we had a good haul. It was time to head back to the others. To keep going. We'd find a place.

"We could put some of the garage doors together against the break." Michonne suggested, gesturing to the large hole in the wall surrounding the town. "Park a car against them until we can bring it back up." when Glenn and I looked to the damage, unsure, she insisted. "It can work."

"This place is surrounded by forest." I noted. "There's no sight lines. Whoever, whatever, could be on top of us without us even knowing it. That's probably what happened."

That's what happened to us." Glenn added.

She shrugged. "We could start taking down the trees. We use them to build the walls up." Glenn and I were still unsure... she gesture to the wall. "Look."

Deciding to at least see what could be done, we headed for the gap in the wall, Michonne in front. As we walked through, out on the other side, we came to a stop. Body parts lay on the ground, arms, and legs... but no heads or torsos... Just by looking at them you could tell it was done by a blade, which meant human. Whatever had happened here, it was bad, and we all knew, staying wouldn't be a good idea.

"It doesn't matter."

I looked to Glenn. "What?"

He shrugged. "You said you wondered if it even mattered if you killed her or not. It doesn't matter if you had done it, or if I had, or that Daryl did. It doesn't matter." he turned away, walking back into the town.

"Washington." Michonne spoke up. "Eugene lied about a cure. But he thought of Washington for a reason."

"But he was lying." Glenn commented.

"About the cure. But he did the math and realized that Washington was the place where there'd be a chance. We're close. What if there are people there? Huh? What if it's someplace that we can be safe? We're 100 miles away. It's a possibility. It's a chance. Instead of just being out here. Instead of just making it. Because right now, this is what making it looks like. Don't you want one more day with a chance?"

The sound of walkers snarling caught my attention, seeing them headed for us. "We should go."

Michonne sighed, turning away, both her and Glenn heading back into the town.

"It's 100 miles away." I stopped them. "We should go to Washington." I nodded, making the right choice, for all of us.

"Rick!" Noah's called from a distance. "Help!" he yelled.

We ran through the town, following the sounds of Noah's voice as we looked for him, eventually coming to a small house. We found him on the porch, in a corner, hiding behind a pallet as two walkers tried to get to him, a third on it's way.

"Noah, hold on!" Glenn called as we reached him.

We all went for a walker each. I stabbed mine in the head fast before reaching for Noah. "You okay?" when he nodded I moved to help Michonne.

The walker she was dealing with had a metal rod in it's neck, and it's hands grasping her shoulders. She struggled, trying to pushing it away.

I grabbed it from behind, pulling it away before stabbing it in the head quickly, letting it drop.

"Hey, it's Tyreese." we all turned to Noah.

I could tell something was really wrong. "Where?"

"My house." he answered. "He's been bit."

_He's been bit.._

 

...

 

We ran into the bedroom, finding Tyreese on the ground, bleeding form a bite on his arm, two dead walker son the ground and a body on the bed.

I fell to my knees, grabbing his bit arm, looking to Glenn. "You hold him!"

Glenn grabbed Tyreese, holding him against the wall. "Yeah, I got it! Go!"

"One hit, clean! Go!" I yelled, pulling on the arm.

Michonne brought her sword up before swinging it down, cutting the arm off in one clean hit.

 

...

 

It was all about rushing now. We had to get him out of the town and to the car. We had to get him back to the others. We had to clean his wound and cauterize it before it got an infection... before he died.

Running through the woods, Glenn and I carrying Tyreese, Noah and Michonne staying close, keeping their eyes open, we moved as fast as we could. When we eventually got to the van, we put him in the back seat, Glenn climbing in to pull Tyreese's legs in and help keep him stable.

"Hold him up, hold him up." I nodded to Michonne. "Go."

She slammed the car door closed, both of us moving as fast as we could to get into the car. As I moved I pulled out the walkie. I'd radioed the others before to let them know what had happened. Now it was best to make sure we were all ready.

"Carol, we're at the car. We need to cauterize the arm and wrap it up." I got in the car, closing the door behind me. "Get Sasha, Carl and Aly away. They don't need to see this." I put the radio down, starting the engine.

The engine revved, not going anywhere. I kept my foot on the accelerator not giving up though.

Suddenly we moved forward, hitting the van ahead of us, the back of it opening as walkers with no limps fell out of it, rolling on to the hood of our vehicle. On each forehead of the walkers a 'W' had been cut into the skin.

"Come on. Come on!" Glenn called.

I put the car into reverse, driving off. We didn't have time to waste.

 

...

"Rick." I looked over at Michonne next to me as she looked behind into the back seat. She shook her head.

I turned to look at Tyreese...

Stopping the car, we all got out, helping Glenn pull Tyreese out, lying him on the road. He was gone. We'd lost him... we'd lost another one of us...

**DPOV**

Each of us stepped forward, one at a time, grabbing the shovel from the person before. Bit by bit, dirt was slowly covered Tyreese's body as it lay in the hole we'd dug for him, a white sheet resting on top of his body.

_"'We look not at what can be seen, but we look at what cannot be seen.'"_

Vic stepped forward from where she stood with Aly. She took the shovel from Tara before she picked up some dirt, her hands visibly shaking. As she let it fall on to the body she looked down at it and I could see part of herself fall away once more. It was too soon after losing Beth to have lost someone else, and she was clearly not dealing well.

_"'For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.'"_

I moved towards her, taking the shovel from her hands, our skin brushing ever so slightly. That light brush, as soft as a feather, had her flinch and pull back. Hugging herself she tugged on her jacket at the sleeves. I felt myself crack then. What had I done for her to act this way towards me? Why was she so scared?

 _"'For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God. A house not made from hands, eternal, in the heavens. In the heavens.'_ "

Slowly she looked up, our eyes meeting. Holding each other's gaze I tried to search for answers. But I found nothing, only sadness, pain, and something I couldn't quite figure out.

Before I could say or do anything a single tear rolled down her cheek. Looking away once more, her gaze to the floor, she wiped away the tear. After a second or two, once she regained herself as much as she could she looked to Aly and walked to the little girl. Taking her hand the two of them walked away, Houdini in tow, moving to the edge of the camp.

 _"'A house not made from hands, eternal, in the heavens.'_ "

Keeping myself together I looked away before picking up some dirt with the shovel. With one last silent goodbye I dropped the dirt on top of Tyreese's body. Without looking at anyone, or letting my controlled mask slip, I simply handed the shovel to the next person... Sasha.

With a nod to tell her I'm sorry, I let the shovel go before turning away and walking off.

"' _In the heavens.'_ "

It'd been too soon after losing Beth to have lost Tyreese as well... He'd been a good man. A fighter... He will be missed.

**  
**

**Chapter 12**

**Nothing**

**VPOV**

It'd been three weeks since we lost Beth. Two since we'd lost Tyreese. A day and a half ago we'd all split up to find water, food, anything. But came up empty handed. We were starving, dehydrated, tired, sore. Everything was going wrong... but at least we still had the van...

Just like that, we rolled to a stop.

"We're out." Abraham looked to dad in the passenger seat, Judith on his lap. "Just like the other one."

It wasn't going to be much longer before the rest of us started dropping.

"So, we walk." dad opened the door, getting out.

We all followed, climbing out of the vehicle, starting our long trip to nowhere on the hard, hot road. I lifted Aly on to my back. As much as I didn't have the energy to carry her, I knew she couldn't walk as fast or far as the rest of us, even though we were only moving at a snails pace. She held on to me, arms around my neck, head resting on my back. Houdini walked by my side, staying strong as I stuck to the edge of our group, keeping my distance still.

Looking down at my dog I felt worry build in my chest. I was beginning to wonder when we'd turn on him or he'd turn on us...

**DPOV**

Walking at the front of our group, leading them as we continued down the long road I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I felt useless. I knew we were all running on fumes. It was only a matter of time before we'd all collapse of exhaustion, or walkers would attack. Speaking of which, I turned to look at the back of the group, seeing some walkers gathering as they followed behind us.

"We're not at our strongest." Rick noted, walking beside me. "We'll get 'em when it's best. High ground, something like that. They're not going anywhere."

Nodding, I turned to keep walking. As long as we didn't slow down, and we all kept moving, we should be okay. For now.

"It's been three weeks since Atlanta." he started. "I know you lost something back there."

Ignoring him, I looked down at Judith. "She's hungry." I changed the subject.

He looked down at his daughter, the youngest of all of us and his kids. "She's okay. She's gonna be okay." it sounded like he was trying to reassure himself that she would make it, but honestly chances were none of us would...

Sighing, I knew something had to be done. "We need to find water, food." I looked towards the treeline, ready to go look.

"We'll hit some in the road." he sounded so sure, looking up at the sky. "It's gonna rain sooner or later."

But I wasn't willing to chance losing anyone between now and when the rain would finally fall. "I'm gonna head out." I handed him the rifle I'd been carrying. "See what I can find."

"Hey." he looked at me with serious eyes. "Don't be too long."

Nodding I turned to Vic, seeing her walking with Aly on her back, Houdini on one side and Carl on the other. I also noticed that even though it was a warm day, she was covered up. I could hardly see her hands the sleeves of her shirt were so long.

Our eyes locked.

I'd hoped that over time she would come back to me, open up about about what she was thinking and feeling. But there's been no progress between us. In fact she'd only just started to stop avoiding Carl, letting him talk to her without responding to him. Aly was the first she let in, every once in a while I'd hear her say something short and soft to the little girl as if hearing her own voice might scare her. Something was clearly wrong, I just didn't know what. But I was determined to find out.

"You wanna come?" I nodded to the treeline I was about to head into.

She hesitated before shaking her head.

Sighing to myself, I didn't bother to push and instead turned to the trees.

"I'll go with you." Carol called.

I shook my head. "I got it."

"You gonna stop me?" she asked, following me as I disappeared into the bushes.

**VPOV**

"Mummy?" Aly's head moved behind me as she tried to look over my shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean? Nothing's wrong." I lied. There was a lot wrong. So much so the list of things that were right would be shorter and easier to call off-because it was practically nonexistent. Everything felt as if it was going wrong.

"You haven't talked to Daryl..." her small voice was thick with worry.

It was true. I hadn't spoken to Daryl. I hadn't spoken to him because I could still feel what had happened to me. The bruises had lightened, but my wrist was still pretty bad; and last night, when I'd walked off to go to the bathroom, I checked the marks O'Donnell had left. Bruises in the shape of bites were all over my body. They were a reminder. Even now I could feel them, I could still feel  _him_.

"It's okay to be sad. It's okay to talk to Daryl too. He loves you."

I smiled lightly, looking over my shoulder at her as best as I could. "When'd you get so smart?"

**DPOV**

Carol and I came to a clearing what looked to have been once a creek.

"Anything?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, it's too dry. There ain't nothing here."

"Maybe we should start back?"

We had been gone for sometime... not that long though. I wasn't worried about the others or anything. And I knew going back empty handed wouldn't help them, so staying out here and looking for anything to eat or drink, it was better use of my time. Besides, I didn't exactly feel like going back and spend my time worrying over Vic. At least being out her was a distraction.

"You go." I told her with a shrug.

"I think Beth saved my life."

I stopped in my tracks, her words pulling me to a hault.

"She saved your life too, right?" walking forward she moved to stand beside me, pulling out a knife and offering it to me. "It was her's."

Slowly I took it, looking it over, feeling it. Beth and I, we'd been through a lot after the prison and I'd learnt a few things, like how tough she could be and how capable she actually was. She'd been a friend... which wasn't something that came to me easily. She was the reason why I was still myself. I'd probably died out there by myself if it wasn't for her. I would have been so set on finding Vic that I would have ended up dead more than likely. I owed Beth a lot, which made losing her worse.

"We're not dead. That's what you said." she nodded. "You're not dead. I know you. We're different. I can't let myself-" she cut herself off. "But you, I know you. You have to let yourself feel it." I just watched her as she gave me a sad smile. "I know you... and I know Vickie. She'll come around. You two. You're not dead." she stepped forward, brushing some of my hair from my face. "You're not dead." she leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on my forehead.

As she stepped back, she looked to me one last time before turning around and heading back towards the others, leaving me there, with thoughts of what she'd said...

**VPOV**

I stood with Gabriel, Carl, Noah, Eugene, Houdini and Aly- who was still on my back. We were at the end of a bridge, the others behind us, waiting in formation as walkers moved towards them. Dad had come to the conclusion it was safest to get rid of the walkers now, while we still have a little bit of energy left. He'd wanted me to stand with them, to help, but I couldn't. I didn't want to leave Aly alone; and I wasn't sure my wrist would be able to handle it.

We watched as the walkers reached them, dad stepping forward, catching a walkers attention. As it got closer he simply stepped aside, making it fall over the edge and under the bridge. Each of them did this as more walkers came by, moving to make them slide down where they wouldn't be able to come back up and follow us. That was until Sasha stepped forward, knife out, stabbing the walker moving to her.

As soon as she did that, the formation broke.

"Shit." I crouched down. "Aly you gotta get off." once she was on the ground turned to Carl. "You take care of her." he nodded, and with that I ran.

Well I tried to run. But with the amount of energy I had it was more like a stumbling fast walk. It didn't matter though. All that mattered was that the others were in trouble and they needed help.

I rushed forward, seeing Glenn dealing with a walker. Grabbing it, I pulled it back enough before Glenn reached forward, stabbing it in the head.

Dropping the walker I turned, pulling out my knife. I saw dad struggling with a walker beside me. Moving to him I went to reach for the walker, only to have it turn on me as dad stumbled back slightly. I tried to keep the walker away as it snapped it's teeth towards me, but I pushed wrong.

"Ah!" I yelled out as a throbbing and stabbing pain coursed through my arm, starting from my wrist. Distracted, the walker pushed on me further, making me fall to the ground.

Out of nowhere, hands grabbed the walker, pulling it off me. I looked up and saw Daryl as he slammed the walker on to the ground before stomping his foot on it's head, causing blood and brains to spray on to the road and his boots.

He turned to me, looking me over with worried eyes. "You okay? Did it get you?" offering his hand he watched and waited for the three whole seconds it took before I let him pull me to my feet.

I didn't want to be scared of Daryl, and if I was being honest I knew I wasn't. It was human contact that had me flinching and hesitating all this time. The idea of a human touching me- even someone I loved- had me recoil. I felt wrong, dirty, unsafe. It was stupid, I knew that, but I couldn't stop.

With all the walkers killed dad stepped up to me, checking me over. "You okay?"

I tugged on the sleeve, covering my wrist as best as I could as I held it to me, nursing it. It still pulsed with pain, but I bit my lip, pushing through it. "I'm fine." I nodded.

"I told you to stop." we all turned to Michonne who was pointing down at Sasha who was on the ground.

I didn't blame Sasha for being pissed. In a matter of just weeks, she'd lost her boyfriend and her brother. I'd be pissed to. But to put herself and the rest of us in danger like that? I understood Michonne's anger too. She'd just nearly got us killed. Her reckless behaviour and lack of thought had almost got us killed.

"Hey." Daryl suddenly- but gently- grabbed my arm as he moved it to him.

I turned back to him, no longer interested or bothered by Michonne and Sasha. I had my own things to worry about. But it was too late. He'd already pulled my sleeve away. My wrist was already visible. The purple and red skin covering my wrist was out in the open for all of them to see, but it was Daryl who was clearly more concerned about it.

"What the hell is this?" he asked, not letting go of my wrist as he looked down at the swollen and bruised skin...

I pulled away from him, tugging the sleeve down again, looking at the ground to avoid his gaze as I did so. I avoided everyone's gaze as I tried to find a way out of the situation I was stuck in. But it was no use.

"Vickie?" dad had seen as well, now moving to reach for me.

I flinched back, stepping away. They were too close and there was too much attention on me. They were all looking at me, each and every one of them. I could feel their eyes, watching with pity, concern, confusion, worry. I felt like I was suffocating as they all stood there, with their eyes on my now covered wrist and I just couldn't take it anymore...

"I'm fine." I blurted out before turning and heading back to the others, to Aly.

**DPOV**

"Dad. Look." Carl's voice caught everyone's attention.

We walked over a hill, seeing a few cars stopped on the other side of it. I knew the others would want to check the cars for anything. They'd been stopped for awhile so the vehicles themselves would probably be useless, but they could hold something we may need. I knew everyone would be busy for a while, searching for supplies, which meant there was time to kill.

Not wanting to stick around, needing to be by myself, I turned to whoever would listen. "I'm gonna head out in the woods, circle back." I told them, moving towards the trees.

"Want me to come with?" Carol asked.

I turned to her, seeing Vic behind her looking down at the ground with Aly on her back once more, and the dog still at her side. She was the only person I wanted to come with me. But she wouldn't even look my way. She had a bruised wrist that looked like it was broken or something but wouldn't talk about it. She was flinching away from everyone, keeping to herself, closing up. She was clearly not in the right mind frame.

But she was the only one I wanted to come. She was the woman I loved. If I couldn't be with her, then I wouldn't to be by myself.

I shook my head. "No. Nah, just me." I answered before leaving them all to search the cars.

 

...

 

I walked through the woods, looking for anything, something. But it was like someone had come around and killed all the animals for themselves. It was like there was no more water anywhere. There was nothing we could use. I stopped, coming across a dead deer. Kneeling by it, I could see it was of no use to us. It was rotted, bugs and other small things had gotten to it and eaten to the bone.

Looking to my left, I caught sight of a dead walker leaning against a tree. It looked fresh. Not so fresh that there might be someone out here right now, but there had been someone out here today.

Getting back to my feet I turned to head for the others again. There was nothing out here...

I found them on the road still, all of them sitting to the side, under the small amount of shade the trees were offering at this time of day. They all looked up, reaching for their weapons as I walked through. Relaxing, they turned back to the nothing they were all doing.

Rick and I shared a look as he shook his head. There'd been nothing in the cars.

**VPOV**

Daryl sat with the rest of us, by my dad, Carl and Judith. We watched as Abraham pulled out the only thing we'd found in the cars... alcohol.

"So, all we found was booze?" Tara asked from beside me as she absentmindedly stroked Houdini.

"Yeah." Rosita nodded.

"It's not gonna help." Tara noted.

Rosita sighed. "He knows that."

"It's gonna make it worse."

"Yes, it is."

"He's a grown man." Eugene shrugged. "And I truly do not know if things can get worse."

"They can." Rosita told him, her words grim, but true.

I looked over at Judith before looking to Aly beside me. There were plenty of things that could go wrong...

The leaves on the trees rustled, all of us turning to see. It wasn't any of our people, we were all here. Which meant it wasn't going to be anything good. Four dogs jumped out of the bushes, growling at us. They looked wild and dangerous, bloody and dirty, hungry too.

I got to my feet, crouching, knife in hand as I stayed in front of Aly. Houdini was up now too, growling at the other animals, which just made them bark, causing him to bark back. This was not good.

The dogs went down as Sasha stood with her rifle, shooting each of them in the head...

I turned to the others, seeing that dad and Daryl had also been ready to defend us if the dogs had made a move. But now they were sharing a look, one I could read in an instant... dinner was served.

Aly gasped, grabbing on to my shoulder. "The doggies." she shook her head, watching as Daryl moved to them with his knife out.

I turned to her. "Why don't you lie down over there? Go play with your toys, okay?" I told her, nodding as I blocked her view of Daryl who had started skinning the dogs. "You just rest, okay?"

Her hand grasped Houdini's collar tightly as she nodded. The dog calmed down now that the the threat was gone, shifting his attention back to the little girl beside him. Aly turned to her bag and sat, play silently with Houdini laying down by her side. She kept her back to the rest of us, understanding that I needed her to do this, I needed her to do as I said. Otherwise I'd lose her, and I would not let that happen.

**DPOV**

Glenn stepped up to me as we continued to follow the road once more. He lifted his hand, showing a bottle and offering some water. When I didn't take it, he pressed. "Daryl."

I shook my head. "No, I'm all right."

"Daryl." he insisted.

"Don't." I warned him. There were more important people that should have the water. Like Judith, Aly and Carl. They were young, they needed it. Vic... She was injured, she needed all the energy and strength she could get.

"Hey. We can make it together. But we can only make it together." he told me before walking on, moving towards Maggie again.

I watched as he rested his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. My eyes fell on Vic, seeing Aly on her back once more. It wasn't good for her. It was going to make her more tired, and slower. It was going to make healing more difficult, and take longer. But she wouldn't listen to me so there was no point in trying to get her to listen, I knew she wouldn't.

I turned to Abraham who was just behind me, a little off to the side. "Tell 'em I went looking for water." I told him before walking into the bushes.

There was no need to let everyone know I was going... the only person I wanted to know didn't even care.

**VPOV**

I turned, hearing voices and then the sound of leaves rustling. I only just caught sight of Daryl disappearing into the treeline, more than likely going to try and find some water or food, again. It made my heart swell knowing he would risk everything to keep us all safe. I knew he would. I knew he'd keep looking for supplies, for anything, until we were all okay. He was just that kind of man. It was one of the reasons why I loved him so much.

Aly was on my back again, but her weight was pulling me down. I could feel it. I just didn't want to make her walk. It wouldn't be fair on her.

As if hearing my thoughts she started to wriggle, sliding down to the ground. I turned to her as soon as she was off, looking down with questioning eyes. She just looked up at me, sad and confused and scared.

I understood. She was worried about me, and the only way she was going to feel better was if she saw me happy... at least happier. The only way that was going to happen was if I talked about what had happened at the hospital. But the only person we both knew I'd really feel comfortable talking to, was the one person I didn't want knowing what happened.

But she just stood there, eyes big and innocent as she looked up at me, twisting my heart.

Sighing, I gave in. "Walk with Carl and Judy, okay?"

She nodded, grabbing a hold of Houdini's collar before moving to catch up to Carl and Judith at the front of the group just behind dad.

With a quick look to make sure she was going to stay with my brother, I then turned around and headed into the woods, following Daryl's tracks.

**DPOV**

I came to a clearing, a barn a few yards in front of me, the sun shining down in away that had the trees giving more shade than by the road.

Propping my crossbow down I sat one the ground, leaning against a tree, pulling some smokes out I'd found in Atlanta. Lighting it I looked towards the barn as I let myself really think about everything that had happened. I pulled the smoke out of my mouth, bringing it down to my hand, pressing the hot ashes on to my skin, burning myself as I slowly twisted the smoke.

We'd lost Beth. We'd lost Tyreese. I was pretty sure I'd lost Vic. Things weren't looking good.

With no home, no food, no water, and no way of knowing how much longer we would survive like this. Things weren't looking good.

Heading for Washington, we had no idea how bad it could be, if there really would be survivors or if it's be as bad as Atlanta had been. Things weren't looking good.

People weren't thinking straight, doing stupid things, it would be long now before we start turning on each other. Things weren't looking good.

I brushed the ashes off my hand, dropping the smoke on to the ground.

We'd lost Beth... I'd lost Beth...

_"I'll be gone someday." she said out of nowhere._

_I turned to her. "Stop."_

_"I will." shifting on the spot, she went on. "You're gonna be the last man standing. You are. You're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone, Daryl Dixon." she smiled._

The tears started then... I could't help it, even as I tried to calm my breathing. But the loss was too strong... and I missed her.

"Daryl?"

**  
**

**Chapter 13**

**The Truth**

**VPOV**

I found Daryl leaning against a tree, sitting on the ground, crying quietly, arms resting on his bent knees that were in front of him as he looked down at his hand where I'd seen him press a cigarette to his skin. I hadn't liked seeing him hurt himself, but I wasn't going to mention it. It was none of my business. Just like how I'd been hurting my wrist before, he probably needed the physical pain as well.

I knew he was here, letting himself feel the loss of Beth. They'd gotten close after they got out of the prison together, and losing her the way we did had effected him more than most realized. But I knew. I knew him better than he knew himself sometimes, just like he knew me better than I did every now and then.

With the connection we had it was no wonder my heart ached the way it did as I watched him.

"Daryl?"

He turned around, and looked at me surprised, as if he hadn't know I was here; which I guess he hadn't. Wiping his eyes, he cleared his throat. "How'd you find me?"

"I learnt from the best." I shrugged, not moving from where I stood. "You taught me to track and be light on my feet."

He nodded. "Rick ask you to come find me?"

I hesitated before answering. "No... Aly wanted me to come..."

He looked off in the distance towards a barn. "Why?"

"She's worried about me..."

"Why?" he repeated shortly.

I knew why he was doing this. He was refusing to be the first to open up. He wanted me to tell him everything. I wasn't getting anything from him until I told him everything.

"Because she knows I'm upset. She knows the only way I'll feel better is if- is if I tell you what happened." I spoke so quietly I was sure he wouldn't have heard.

But as he turned, looking at me with an expression I could only just understand, I knew he was waiting.

Taking a deep breath, I let it out. "Back at Grady... there was a man, a cop. He was one of the ones who'd brought Carol and I back. Dawn, she made me his ward, which meant I had to do things for him, like clean his room and do his laundry. But he wanted more..." my voice and hands shook. "H-he wanted me and he threatened Carol. She was in a coma and was defenseless. He t-told me if I didn't let him-" I cut myself short trying to stay in control.

Daryl was on his feet now, shifting on the spot as he questioned whether he should come towards me or not. "He told you he'd hurt Carol if you didn't?"

I nodded, wiping a tear from my cheek. "I couldn't let him, Daryl. I wouldn't let him hurt her."

He moved forward then, slowly and carefully, watching how I reacted as he reached for my arm gently. "He did this?"

I slowly moved my hand to the top button of my shirt, undoing the first and then the second before moving the material away to show him one of the few bite marks still marking my body; this one sitting on my shoulder. "Beth needed him distracted so she could give Carol medicine or Carol would have died. I pretend I-I liked it... so he did it again while Beth helped Carol." I broke then, feeling myself begin to cry.

His eyes looked from my wrist to my shoulder before his eyes locked on to mine. "This why you've been avoiding me? Why you've been avoiding everyone?" he asked as he wiped away one of my tears- still being very cautious with the way he was around me.

"I didn't want you to know. I didn't want you to know he touched me. That he hurt me." I shook my head, tears running down my face. "Things he said to me. Things he  _did_  to me. Over and over, telling me I was his." I looked away from Daryl feeling guilt and shame. "I didn't want you to think less of me. And I know it's stupid to think you would, but I was scared."

Moving slowly he brought his hands to my shirt before doing the buttons up again to cover me again. He was careful, being gentle and kind, showing the parts of Daryl not everyone had the chance to see...

With his silence and gentleness I felt like I had to tell him the rest. "I killed him." his hands stopped on the top button as I went on. "He was attacking Dawn, and he hurt Beth. So I kicked him into the elevator shaft."

"Good." was all he said as he did the last button, before looking up at me. "No one's ever touchin' you again."

I nodded, believing him one hundred percent, seeing the love and worry in his eyes. "I want you to hold me..." I told him, needing him. Needing the support only he could give me.

He didn't move right away. "You sure? Not gonna flinch or nothing?"

Shaking my head I could feel my heart race. "I won't flinch."

He rested his hands on my waist, carefully pulling me closer to him until I was pressed against his chest. His arms now wrapped around me completely, as I wrapped mine around his shoulders. His face buried into my neck and hair, holding me tenderly and perfectly. He breathed in, relaxing as he held me a little longer.

"I missed you." I admitted, feeling some weight being lifted off my shoulders.

"I missed you, too."

**DPOV**

We walked out of the woods together, Vic just behind me, her hand in mine. She hadn't let go of me since our hug, and I wasn't complaining. It was good to have her back, to know we were okay. I just wish I could have done something more for her, to stop that asshole from doing what he'd done. She'd been through a lot, and she was tough enough to handle herself- she'd proven that over and over. But that didn't make it okay. I may have looked calm, I may have seemed okay, but I was pissed.

I wanted to rip the guy apart. I wanted to tear him limp from limp. I wanted to cut him all over, slowly, drawing out his death. I wanted to hang him from his balls, dangling over a pit of walkers. I wanted to rip his eye balls out and force feed them to him. I wanted to slice his dick in half, right up the middle and tear it off. I wanted to beat him to the ground until he was nothing more than a bloody heap of meat and bones.

But I couldn't, because Vic had dealt with him. I was proud of her, glad that she'd done it. But I was disappointed in myself for leaving her in a situation like that.

We reached the clearing then, meeting up with the rest of the group. They stood in a circle, looking down at water bottles sitting in the middle of the road. Once we were standing by them Rick turned to us and handed me a sheet of paper.

I let go of Vic's hand to grab the paper, reading it to myself. ' _FROM A FRIEND_ '. Dropping the paper I got my crossbow off my shoulder, scanning the area... I didn't like this, not one bit.

Aly came over to us, Vic carefully lifting her into her arms as she scanned the area too.

"What else are we gonna do?" Tara asked, breaking the silence.

"Not this." Rick answered flatly. "We don't know who left it."

"If that's a trap, we already happen to be in it." Eugene noted. "But I, for one, would like to think it is indeed from a friend." he stared down at the bottles.

"What if it isn't?" Carol asked. "They put something in it?"

Ignoring her warning and Rick's words, Eugene stepped forward grabbing one of the bottles.

"Eugene." Rosita warned.

Tara shook her head. "What are you doing, dude?"

"Quality assurance." he answered, opening the bottle and bringing it to his mouth.

Abraham stepped forward, knocking it from his hands before he could take a sip, glaring at Eugene warningly.

Vic shook her head, looked at Eugene with her own glare- only her's wasn't as angry and more disappointed. "I don't care what skills you do or do not have. If you're weak, strong, useful or annoying. You're apart of our group, you're family, and we will not let you do stupid things..." she gestured to the bottle. "Like drink water that might be poisoned."

Eugene looked to everyone as we all watched him.

"We can't." Rick shook his head, his word final.

The sound of thunder rumbling started at that moment, all of us looking up as rain began to pour down, slow at first and then faster.

Aly laughed getting down from Vic's grasp before she started spinning around, Houdini barking excitedly as he followed her. Tara and Rosita got to the ground laughing as they let the water soak their clothes. Others stood, mouths open as they tried to catch some water drops. While the rest just stood there.

I turned to Vic, seeing her head raised to the sky, eyes closed as rain drops rolled down her face, her hair clinging to her skin where it fell. She looked beautiful.

"Everybody, get the bags. Anything you can find." Rick moved to start laying out our bottles and whatever else we could use to catch the rain. "Come on."

Thunder roared from above. Judith started to cry, Carl tried to cover her from the rain with his hat as it started to pour harder and faster. Everyone looked up to where the storm was coming from, seeing dark clouds and lightning and thunder began to boom louder and more frequently. The storm was coming close and fast, and it was going to be big, bad, and dangerous.

"Let's keep moving." Rick nodded to everyone.

"There's a barn." I suggested.

Rick turned to me. "Where?"

**VPOV**

I waited outside with a few of the others as dad, Carol, Daryl, Abraham, Glenn and Maggie moved inside to check the barn out for any walkers or people. Michonne, Rosita, Tara and myself stayed by the door, weapons at the ready just in case, as we watched the others move around inside, carefully.

When it was all clear, we all hurried in, closing the only doors and chaining them as dad and Abraham worked on getting some lanterns on. We all settled in pretty easily and before long it was dark outside.

Sitting with Glenn, Carol, Michonne, dad, and Daryl, a small fire in front of us, I looked down at my freshly wrapped wrist. Daryl insisted I take proper care of it, seeing as I used my wrist a lot dealing with walkers, picking up Aly and things like that.

Beside me, Daryl dropped the stick in his hand, giving up.

"I'll try." Glenn offered, reaching for other sticks.

But Daryl shook his head. "No, they're too wet." we needed to make the fire bigger, before it burned out completely, but all the sticks were useless.

"He's gonna be okay." Carol spoke up. "He bounces back more than any of us do."

I looked over at her, seeing her looking at my dad who was watching Carl sleep with Judith in his arms, Aly by his side and Houdini by their heads.

"I used to feel sorry for kids that have to grow up now, in this." dad started. "But I think I got it wrong. Growing up's getting used to the world. This is easier for them."

Aly, she was young, really young. I doubt by the time she's Carl's age she would remember much of the world before. It'd been about three years now since everything happened. I wasn't sure though, time was harder to keep track of these days when you're fighting for your life. But no matter how long it'd been, Aly had probably been barely talking when the world fell apart.

"This isn't the world." Michonne shook her head. "This isn't it."

"It might be." Glenn looked up at her. "It might."

"That's giving up."

"It's reality."

"Until we see otherwise, this is what we have to live with." dad told her. He looked away, down at the ground. "When I was a kid, I asked my grandpa once if he ever killed any Germans in the war. He wouldn't answer. He said that was grownup stuff, so-" he scoffed. "So I asked if the Germans ever tried to kill him. But he got real quiet.

"He said he was dead the minute he stepped into enemy territory. Every day, he woke up and told himself, 'Rest in peace. Now, get up and go to war'. And then after a few years of pretending he was dead, he made it out alive." he told us softly. "And that's the trick of it, I think. We do what we need to do, and then we get to live..." he paused before going on. "But no matter what we find in D.C., I know we'll be okay." he nodded. "Because this is how we survive. We tell ourselves that we are the walking dead."

Daryl shook his head. "We ain't them." we all turned to him as he got on his knees, crouching.

"We're not them." dad leaned forward to look at Daryl. "Hey. We're not."

Daryl stood. "We ain't them." he repeated, grabbing his crossbow and walking off.

I got to my feet, looking to the other for a moment before following Daryl as he moved to the doors of the barn, stopping in front of them, just standing there. As I stood behind him I reached for his shoulder, touching him, causing his head turning to me.

"Daryl?" I looked into his eyes, worried.

He turned to me, my hand falling from his shoulder. "We ain't dead."

"I know." I nodded, stepping forward, letting my head rest on his chest.

He hesitated at first before I felt his free arm wrap around me, holding me close to him.

 

...

 

I don't remember falling asleep. I just remember Daryl telling me to sit, and so I had. I had moved over to Carl, Judy, Aly and Houdini and sat, and then nothing. I must have been more tired than I'd thought.

But now I was awake, the storm loud, pulling me from my sleep.

I looked up, seeing Daryl by the doors, pushing on them, Maggie helping along with Sasha. Carl and I sat up, waking Aly. I grabbed my sister as Carl stood, rushing to help the others.

Turning to Aly, I sat Judith in her lap. "You take care of her!" I yelled over the storm before moving to help the others, pushing myself against the door as the moans and snarls of walkers filled my ears, as they pushed to get in.

One by one everyone got up to help keep the doors closed, working together, as the family we were. The snarls and storm filled my ears, making everything hazy, but all that mattered was the weight I pushed against the doors. I didn't care about my wrist, about my past, about my future, about anything. All that mattered was that moment, that second right there, because without it, there would be nothing. We'd all be nothing.

So we pushed, and we pressed, and we heaved, and we shoved. Never giving up. Never backing down. Never losing hope.

Each and every single one of us was fighting at that moment. Even Sasha. Even Maggie. Even Abraham. Gabriel, Noah and Eugene. Everyone who was hurting. Everyone who was mad. Everyone who was weak. Everyone, working together, to keep us alive and to keep us together.

**DPOV**

After the storm had died down last night everyone had gone back to sleep. But there'd been too many things on my mind. I'd just sat there at the back of the barn, all night, with crossbow next to me just in case, as I watched Vic sleep. She was curled up beside me asleep, her head resting on her arms, her legs bent so she was curled up. I'd thrown a jacket over her at some point to keep her warm. Taking my eyes off her was not an option, not when I was still feeling so guilty about leaving her to the monsters at Grady.

It seemed Houdini was thinking the same way, because he'd stayed by her side all night, curled up by her legs, watching everything around us, ready. It felt good to know he would protect her. It eased my mind.

His head lifted and turned to look at something. I looked over to see what caught his attention, and caught sight of Maggie as she stood and moved over to me before coming to sit by my side, opposite of Vic.

She turned to me. "You should get some sleep."

I nodded. "Yeah."

"It's okay to rest now." she whispered before turning to look over at Sasha, who was sleeping alone.

Sasha had lost a lot. First Bob and then Tyreese. She hadn't been doing well, and that was understandable. But seeing her sleeping now, it had me thinking about her brother. About the time we'd spent together and the things he'd done for our group and our family. He'd always been a strong member, ready to defend the people he cared about, and ready to fight for what he believed in.

"He was tough."

She nodded. "He was."

"So was she." I told her, knowing she knew I was now talking about Beth. "She didn't know it, but she was." she gave a little smile, looking over at me. I reached over, grabbing the jewelry box Carl had found for her on the road earlier. "The gearbox had some grit in it." it hadn't been working, but with nothing to do all night, I'd managed to fix it up for her.

"Thank you." she looked down at the box before nodding to me before getting up. I watched as she moved over to Sasha the two of them walking out.

Shifting slightly I pulled my vest off, moving to lie down.

Vic's eyes slowly opened as she looked up at me, a smile creeping on to her lips. "Morning." she sighed.

I reached over, now laying beside her, my fingers brushing hair out of her face. "Mornin'."

Things may be looking bad, but I knew as long as there were mornings like this- where Vic would look at me, sleepy and happy at the same time, curled by my side- I knew then things wouldn't always be bad.

**VPOV**

Daryl stood behind me, holding me in position, his hands over mine as I held his crossbow, aiming at the wall. Everyone was clear- even though there was no bolt in place to be shot- as I lined the weapon up with the mark on the wall he wanted me to 'hit'. Before he was going to let me actually shot his crossbow he wanted to make sure I knew how to actually hold it.

I mean, I could fight; after being in a world like this for so long, you kinda have to learn how to fight. I could shoot; Shane taught me that years ago and I was pretty good. I was good with a knife; when I'd gone crazy the eight months I'd been alone I even taught myself how to throw knives and was pretty much an expert now. So learning how to use a crossbow seemed logical.

"Hey!" Maggie called from outside the barn as she opened the door cautiously. "Everyone, this is Aaron."

We all turned as a man walked in behind her, Sasha following. Our weapons raised I moved towards dad as he lifted Judith into his arms, Aly by his side with a growling Houdini. Daryl- who had taken his crossbow from my hands quite swiftly and effortlessly- moved to the barn doors, looking out.

"We met him outside. He's by himself." Maggie explained as Daryl moved towards Aaron, leaning down to search him. "We took his weapons and we took his gear." Maggie added.

Tara closed and chained the doors, the coast seeming to be clear.

Aaron stood there hands raised i the air as he looked at all of us. "Hi."

Judith began crying at that moment.

Dad turned to me, giving a nod. I understood, lifting my arms to take my sister, rocking her gently as I held her to me, hushing her calmly. Aly moved to duck behind my legs then, poking her head out from behind me enough so she could watch the man, but still stay hidden enough so she felt safe.

"It's nice to meet you." Aaron went to step forward towards dad.

Everyone cocked their guns, moving closer to the new comer, warning him. He was smart enough to stop.

"You said he had a weapon?" dad asked, looking at Aaron but talking to Maggie. She stepped forward, handing the small gun to dad, who looked it over before tucking it into the back of his pants. "There something you need?"

"He has a camp nearby." Sasha answered. "He wants us to  _audition_  for membership."

"I wish there was another word." Aaron shrugged. "Audition makes it sound like we're some kind of dance troupe. That's only on Friday nights." he tried for humour, but came back with no laughs, not even a response. He shook his head, going on. "And it's not a camp. It's a community. I think you all would make valuable additions. But it's not my call. My job is to convince you all to follow me back home." he looked to all of us. "I know. If I were you, I wouldn't go either." he chuckled lightly. "Not until I knew exactly what I was getting into." turning he spoke to Sasha. "Sasha, can you hand Rick my pack?"

Sasha looked to dad, who gave her a slight nod. Walking over, she pulled the bag off her shoulder, handing it over to dad.

"Front pocket, there's an envelope." Aaron noted, waiting for dad to pull it out before going on. "There's no way I could convince you to come with me just by talking about our community. That's why I brought those. Now, I apologize in advance for the picture quality. We just found an old-"

Daryl cut him off. "Nobody gives a shit." his words were complete truth. None of us cared.

Aaron turned to him. "You're absolutely, 100% right." looking to dad he went on. "That's the first picture I wanted to show you because nothing I say will matter unless you know You'll be safe. If you join us, you will be. Each panel in that wall is a 15-foot high, 12-foot wide slab of solid steel framed by cold-rolled steel beams and square tubing. Nothing alive or dead gets through that without our say-so.

"Like I said, security is obviously important. In fact, there'e only one resource more critical to our community's survival. The people. Together we're strong. You can make us even stronger." he gestured to the photos in dad's hands. "The next picture, you'll see inside the gates." he started as dad moved towards him. "Our community was first-"

Dad swung, punching him in the face, knocking Aaron to the ground and knowing him out.

**  
**

**Chapter 14**

**Applesauce**

**VPOV**

Turning, dad walked back towards where Michonne, Carl, Aly and I stood. The look in his eyes telling me he was thinking overtime; gears working hard as he thought of everything that might happen, so we could be prepared.

"So we're clear." Michonne stepped up to him. "That look wasn't a let's-attack-that-man look. It was a he-seems-like-an-okay-guy-to-me look."

"We got to secure him." dad shrugged turning to Carl. "Dump his pack. Let's see what this guy really is."

"Rick!" Michonne warned.

He ignored her, turning to the others. "Everybody else, we need eyes in every direction. They're coming for us. We might not know how or when, but they are."

"Me and Sasha, we didn't see him." Maggie started. "If he wanted to hurt us, he could've."

Ignoring her as well, dad looked around. "Anybody see anything?"

Glenn- who was looking out a window- shook his head. "Just a lot of places to hide."

"All right, keep looking." dad moved over to Carl, looking over at Aaron's things. "What did you find?"

Carl handed a flare gun over, I recognized it having seen one at the sheriff's station back in our home town where dad used to work. "Never seen a gun like that before." he looked up at dad. Dad simply nodded back at him.

"That's a hell of a right cross there, Rick." Aaron groaned, waking up.

"Sit him up." dad ordered.

"I think it's better-" Maggie started, only to have Aaron cut her off.

"It's okay." he groaned again.

"He's fine. Sit him up." dad repeated, before Michonne and Maggie moved to sit Aaron up. He looked up at dad, seeming not to have gotten the idea to shut up. It would probably save his life if he did... "You're being cautions. I completely understand."

"How many of your people are out there?" dad asked, wanting to get to business. "You have a flare gun. You have it to signal you people. How many of them are there?"

Aaron sighed. "Does it matter?"

"Yes." dad answered immediately. "Yes, it does."

"I mean, of course, it-it matters how many people are actually out there, does it matter how many people I tell you are out there?" Aaron asked, not making a very good decision with his choice of words... "Because I'm pretty sure no matter what number I say... Eight. Thirty two. Four hundred and forty four. Zero." he shook his head. "No matter what I say, you're not going to trust me."

"Well it's hard to trust anyone who smiles after getting punched in the face." dad shrugged, making a good point.

"How about a guy who leaves bottles of water for you in the road?"

We all tensed, turning to look at the couple of bottles we'd sat on a bench that we'd found...

"How long you people been followin' us?" Daryl asked, stepping forward, that angry look in his eyes he got when our people- his family- were being threatened.

"Long enough to see that you practically ignored a pack of roamers on your trail. Long enough to see that, despite a lack of food and water, you never turned on each other- not even on the dog." he looked to us. "Your'e survivours, and you're people. Like I said before, and I hope you won't punch me for saying it again, that is the most important resource in the world."

We all looked to each other, Daryl's and my eyes locking on the opposite side of the barn. I shifted Judith's weight, Aly standing behind me, holding my shirt tightly, Houdini still beside her though no longer growling- yet I knew it wouldn't take much for him to attack Aaron.

I wasn't sure what the others were thinking... but I was sure we could do this. We'd been through enough to know how to handle ourselves if the place was a trap. Just look at Terminus. I thought it'd be a good idea to at least check it out. If not for us, then for Judith, and Aly... hell, even Carl. They all deserved better than this.

Dad stepped towards Aaron. "How many others are out there?" he repeated.

"One." when dad shook his head at Aaron's answer he sighed. "I knew you wouldn't believe me. If it's not words, if it's not pictures, what would it take to convince you that this is for real?" it was a good question. One no one could answer... "What if I drove you to the community?" he offered. "All of you? We leave now, we'll get there by lunch."

"I'm not sure how the 18 of us are would to fit in the car you and your one friend drove down here in." dad noted.

Aaron shook his head. "We drove separately. If we found a group, we wanted to be able to bring them all home. Theres enough room for all of us."

"And you're parked just a couple miles away, right?" Carol asked, seeming to be joining dad on the no-trust train.

"East on Ridge Road, just after you hit Route 16." he answered. "We wanted to get closer, but then the storm came, blocked the road. We couldn't clear it."

"Yeah, you've really thought this through." dad nodded, not believing a word Aaron said.

"Rick, if I wanted to ambush you, I'd do it here."

That was it.

I stepped forward, making Aly hide behind a wall- Houdini following her. "Seriously, the best thing for you to do now, is shut up." I warned.

Aaron looked up. "You can trust me." his eyes stayed locked on mine.

Daryl grabbed my arm, pulling me behind him protectively, obviously not liking the guy. Although I also wondered if he was mainly worried about me when it came to this strange man. I knew, now that I'd told Daryl everything, he would be protective of me. So was he worried this guy would try something as well?

"I'll check out the cars." Michonne offered.

"There aren't any cars." dad insisted.

"There's only one way to find out." she shrugged.

"We don't need to find out." he argued.

But Michonne wasn't having it. "We do. You know what you know, and you're sure of it, but I'm not."

"Me neither." Maggie stepped forward.

Dad shook his head. "Your way is dangerous." he told Michonne. "Mine isn't."

"Passing up someplace where we can live, where Aly can live, where  _Judith_ can live, that's pretty dangerous." she noted. "We need to find out what this is. We can handle ourselves. So that's what we're gonna do."

Glenn nodded. "Then I will, too. I'll go."

Dad turned. "Abraham."

"Yeah." Abraham moved forward, towards the group. "I'll walk with them."

Dad turned again. "Rosita."

She shifted her hold on her gun, nodding. "Okay."

Dad looked to me, but before he could say anything Daryl stepped forward. "No. She's staying with me. We'll look out."

"Okay." dad shrugged.

I didn't pay him much more attention, as Carl walked up to me, offering to take Judith. I handed my sister over to my brother. Now that I had free hands, I was able to help the others.

Daryl lifted Aaron off the ground and to his feet. Moving him away from the door. Even though Aaron's hand were bound, we couldn't take any chances. So I moved to help, setting Aaron down against a wall, away from everything.

"If we're all in here, we're a target." dad spoke to everyone.

With Aaron down, Daryl tapped my shoulder, nodding to the doors. "We've got the area covered." he told dad, the two of us heading to go out.

Before we did, I looked to dad. "You keeping Judith here?" he simply nodded. "I want Aly to stay too. I don't want her out there and I trust you."

"I'll take care of her." he reassured me.

"Thank you." I gave a light smile before turning and walking out with Daryl.

**RPOV**

Judith wouldn't stop fussing. Even as Aly tried to calm her, she just wouldn't stop crying- which was odd seeing as Aly had actually calmed Judith down on a few occasions. I was busy holding Judith to me as I crouched down on the ground, trying to crush some nuts we'd found outside, hoping feeding Judith would help... not that nuts would be a lot for her.

"You did see the jar of applesauce in my bag, right?" Aaron asked, causing me to stop and look up at him.

At the sound of his voice, Aly hid behind me. She wasn't one for trusting strangers, and I didn't blame her.

"This isn't a trick." he insisted. "This isn't about trying to make you like me. It's self-preservation. Because if the roamers hear her and come this way, I know I'll be the first to go."

Shifting my weight as I crouched, I thought about it, but knew I didn't have much of a choice. So standing, I moved to grab the jar of applesauce and a spoon, Aly following me. I scooped some sauce on to the spoon before moving towards Aaron, Aly staying by the little bench, hiding as best as she could as I felt her watch.

I stopped in front of Aaron, offering the spoon.

"You think I'm trying to poison your baby daughter?" when I didn't move or say anything he went on. "I'm tied up, and you've already expressed a willingness to stab me in the head. How will cruelly killing your daughter in front of you in any way help the situation?"

I knelt, shrugging. "Maybe she doesn't die. Maybe she gets sick. Maybe you're the only one that can help her, and I just lose."

"I am the only one who can help her because I have applesauce, and we all win."

I lifted the spoon to his mouth again.

He pulled back. "I hate applesauce. My mum used to make me eat food I didn't like to make me more manly. Salmon patties, applesauce, and onions. She was a very confused woman who tried her damnedest. I just brought the jar to show we have apple trees nearby."

"Like you said." I shrugged. "You'll be the first to go."

He looked from me to the spoon and back, a look of distaste and disgust on his face as he put the spoon in his mouth, eating some of the sauce.

I watched him as he pulled back, swallowing. Bring the spoon to my mouth I tested it. It seemed good, and Judith was hungry- and still crying- so I stood, moving back to the jar, deciding to feed her some.

"The community is big enough." Aaron started. "We can find a place for you to live where even when she cries, no one, nothing can hear it outside the walls."

"You got 43 minutes." I told him before turning back to the jar.

Aly's head popped up from the other side of the counter as she watched me feed Judith. Her eyes wide. I could tell she was hungry too.

I looked from the sauce, back to the little girl. "You want some?" her eyes darted to Aaron. "It's okay, Aly." I assured her.

She slowly walked out from behind the counter, coming to stand by me, nodding. "Yes please."

**DPOV**

Vic and I had found a spot where we could see the front of the barn, but still be covered. Houdini was with us, staying close to Vic as she sat on a fallen log, leaning against another tree, absentmindedly stroking Houdini's back.

I scanned the area, watching everything. We had sight lines of the others too. Sasha with Gabriel. Tara with Eugene. Carol and Carl with Noah. We knew splitting up was right, keeping at least one strong person with someone weaker. The only reason Vic was with me was because I was never letting her out of my sight again.

"Daryl, do you think my dad's right? Do you think we shouldn't go?"

"What, you think we should? You think it's a good idea?" I turned to her.

She shrugged. "I don't know if it's right or wrong. I don't know if it's safe. But I do know, staying out here, like this, that's not safe either. Maybe checking this place out, all of us, staying together..." she nodded, looking down at Houdini. "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad."

**VPOV**

Dad knelt in front of the pile of canned food the others had brought back. Lifting one of the cans dad nodded looking up at everyone. He stood, turning to Aaron. "This, this is our's now."

Aaron nodded. "There's more than enough."

"It's ours." dad repeated. "Whether or not we go to you camp."

I frowned, confused.

"What do you mean?" Carl seemed to feel the same way as I did. "Why wouldn't we go?"

"If he was lying, of if he wanted to hurt us..." Michonne started. "But he isn't and he doesn't. We need this." she looked to everyone. "So we're going. All of us. Somebody say something if they feel differently."

"I don't know, man." I looked to Daryl where he sat beside me. "This barn smells like horse shit." he said, telling dad he wanted to go.

I let myself smile a little as I leaned over, resting my head on his shoulder, his arm coming around me as we looked up at my dad.

"Yeah." dad nodded. "We're going." he agreed before turning to Aaron. "So where are we going? Where's your camp?"

Aaron looked nervous, shifting slightly. "Every time I've done this, I've been behind the wheel driving recruits back. I believe you're good people. I've bet my life on it. I'm just not ready to bet my friends' lives just yet."

Michonne walked forward. "You're not driving." she told him simply. "So if you want to get home, you'll have to tell us how."

Dad crouched down, map laid out on the floor as he waited for directions. "Go north on Route 16." Aaron told him.

"And then?" Michonne pushed.

"I'll tell you when we get there."

"We'll take 23 north." dad decided. "You'll give us directions from there."

"That's..." Aaron shook his head nervously. "I don't know how else to say it. That's a bad idea. We've cleared 16. It'll be faster."

But dad wouldn't give in. "We'll take 23. We leave at sundown."

"We're doing this at night?" Sasha asked.

"Look, I know it's dangerous." dad stood, turning to the rest of us. "But it's better than riding up to the gates during the day. If it isn't safe, we need to get gone before they know we're there."

"No one is going to hurt you." Aaron insisted. "You're trying to protect your group, but you're putting them in danger."

"Tell me where the camp is, we'll leave right now." dad shrugged. But Aaron wouldn't say, so with that, dad made his mind up. "It's going to be a long night. Eat." he told us. "Get some rest if you can."

**RPOV**

Michonne followed me outside as I moved to check on the cars the others had brought back, a sedan and an RV. I crouched on the floor, checking the driver's side to see if there was anything there, useful or dangerous.

I turned to her, knowing she stood behind me. "I'm thinking you, me, Glenn drive with that guy. Carl, Judith and Aly are safer in there." I gestured to the RV. "You okay?" I asked when she didn't say anything.

"When you said that we were going, was that for real? Or are you just trying to get the guy to tell you where his camp is?"

I stood, nodded. "We're going."

"Whatever it takes to get there. Just as long as we get there."

"When you first came up on the walls outside Woodbury, what did you hear?"

"Nothing."

"And Terminus?"

"Nothing."

I nodded. "Sometime tonight, we'll be outside his camp's walls. And without seeing inside, I'm gonna have to decide whether to bring my family in." I explained to her, so she understood why I was being the way I was. "He asked me before what it would take for me to believe it was real. Truth is, I'm not sure if anything could convice me to go in there. But I'm gonna see." I reassured her. "I'm gonna see."

**  
**

**Chapter 15**

**Twenty Three North**

**RPOV**

I sat in the passenger seat, Glenn driving, Michonne in the back with Aaron as the others drove behind us in the RV. Opening the glove compartment I pulled out a pile of licence plates stuffed inside.

"Oh... I'm trying to collect all 50 states." Aaron explained, looking over my shoulder, hands sill bound. "Put them all on a wall in my house."

"You have your own house?" Michonne asked him.

"Mhmm. See for yourself."

After a moment Michonne spoke up, looking away from the pile of photos Aaron had offered her. "Why don't you have any pictures of your people?"

"Oh, I took a picture of the whole group, but I didn't get the exposure right. When I tried to develop it later, it just-"

She cut him off. Looking at Glenn and myself, leaning a little forward I could hear the intensity in her voice. It was as if something small had just set an alarm off in her mind. "Did you ask him the questions?" she asked me.

"No." I answered, not having thought about them...

We'd asked everyone we'd ever brought in, or thought to brought in, when we were at the prison. It was the same three questions every time. Depending on what a person said and how the acted, depended on whether we felt like we could trust them of not.

Michonne turned back to Aaron, choosing now to ask. Better late than never. "How many walkers have you killed?"

"I'm sorry, what?" he was clearly confused.

"How many?" she repeated, getting Glenn's and my attention. I looked over my shoulder and he look in the rear view mirror. as we all waited for Aaron to say something.

He shrugged. "I don't know. A lot."

"How many people?"

His eyes flashed with guilt. "Two."

Michonne didn't flinch as she asked the last question. "Why?"

"'Cause they tried to kill me." he answered, which in all honestly was the same answer most of our people would give to explain why we'd done the same thing. Self-preservation. Self-defense. Survival.

I felt something sticking me and had been trying to move it away for a whole now. Giving up, I reached down, pulling out a portable satellite dish... "You were listening to us?" Glenn asked him, seeing what I was holding.

"I already said I was watching you. Yes, I was listening-"

I cut Aaron off. "His people could have one, too. They could've heard our plan. This isn't safe."

"Shit!" Glenn's arms locked suddenly as he held on to the steering wheel tighter, foot on the accelerator. The hood of the car smashed into walker that covered the road, blood hit the window, covering it, making us lose our sight of outside.

"Glenn!" I warned, holding on to the dash.

"They were right behind us." he explained. "They would have hit us. Now they can get out."

Hit after hit after hit, the walkers just kept coming. Now there was no way of us to see out except for the back window, and as I did that I could see just how many were on the road...

"Oh, shit."

Glenn put on the brakes, both of us grabbing our weapons as we rushed outside to see where the RV was, where the others were.

"I don't see them." I called to Glenn.

He stood up on the car, looking out as Michonne climbed out of the car. "No, they're gone." he looked to me. "They got away."

"All right, we'll circle back and find them." I nodded, moving back to the car. "Let's go."

We all got in, closing the doors behind us. We didn't have much time, the walkers we coming, their snarls and groans getting louder and louder...

"They're okay?" Aaron asked, sounding honestly scared and worried.

"Yeah." Michonne answered as Glenn- still outside- wiped enough blood and guts off the window so that he could see as he drove.

"We can take a left a couple of miles up 23 Jefferson Avenue." I told him as he got back in the car.

"Jefferson Avenue." he nodded closing his door before trying to start the car. "Come on. Come on." the car wouldn't start...

"We gotta get out of here." Aaron was terrified, shifting in his seat.

"Let me see what I can see." Michonne offered as she got out of the car.

"They're coming right for us."

I turned to Aaron. "Yeah, we know."

"Come on! Come on!" Glenn kept trying to start the car.

"We need to leave now."

"Hold on." Glenn looked out the window, seeing something.

I looked just as a flare started to fall from where it'd been shot...

"Who did that?" I turned to Aaron again.

"I need to leave." his eyes were wide. "This is over. Let me out." he shifted. "I need to get out of here. It's over."

"What's going on?" I asked, needing answers.

"Let me out!"

Michonne came to her door. "Did you see that?"

Suddenly Aaron kicked out, pushing the door open and Michonne away before he scurried out of the car, running into the woods, with his hands still tied behind his back.

Glenn and I got out of the car as Michonne got up, she started moving to follow Aaron

"Michonne, leave him." I called. "We need to find our people."

"They saw that flare. They thing we shot it. This is how we find them." she called back before running into the woods.

We ran, trying to find our way to where the flare had been shot, all the while trying to dodge the walkers that seemed to come out of everywhere and follow us. I stopped, seeing that there were too many, pulling out my gun to shoot a few, machete in my other hand. Glenn and Michonne doing the same. I kept shooting, hitting which ever walker was closest. That was until I realized, Glenn was gone...

 

...

 

"Glenn!" I called out as Michonne and I stayed where we were, stuck with walkers surrounding us. "He's got to be somewhere around here."

"Glenn!" she called as well.

I shot, pulling the trigger again to find I was out of bullets. Tucking my gun away, I pulled out the flare gun. It only held one flare, but it would at least help for a moment. So I pulled the trigger hitting a walker right in the eye. The other walkers kept coming though, Michonne and I managing to use her sword and my machete to keep safe, but we wouldn't last much longer like this.

Suddenly the sound of gunshots could be heard as the walkers started to fall.

Once they were all down Michonne and I turned to see Glenn and Aaron behind us.

Aaron lifted his hands. "If you really want to tie me up again, that's fine, but hurry up." he dropped the gun he'd been holding.

I picked the gun up. "There's no time. We're going that way." I gestured to where the walkers had been coming from before rushing forward, the others behind me.

 

...

 

Once we got to Route 16, I turned to Aaron, not thrilled with the idea of having no car, little ammo, and no idea where are people were. "Where are they?"

"I don't know." he looked up and down the road.

"If this is a trap to get us back where you want us, your people are going to die tonight." I told him, not a single word a lie. Turning I started down the road, determined to find my family.

**VPOV**

I sat outside of the building the rest of our people and Eric- the other person from Aaron's community- were holed up in. Daryl and I were keeping an eye out in the hopes that dad, Michonne, Glenn and Aaron would find us... if they were still alive.

The sound a of a whistle had me get to my feet, rushing to see who had made the sound...

"Dad." I smiled widely running towards him and the others as Daryl knocked on the door to let everyone else know they were back. I threw my arms around my dad, his arms coming around me as we hugged. I was so relieved that they were all okay and in one piece.

"Dad!" Carl came running up to us.

I moved back, watching as Maggie and Glenn ran to each other, dad and Carl hugging as well. I stepped up to Michonne, embracing her, smile still beaming.

"Eric?" Aaron looked at everyone who'd come out. "Eric? Eric?"

"In here." a small voice called from inside, and Aaron was gone.

Daryl arm came around my waist as he pulled me closer, my head resting against him. Everyone was back, we were all together. Things were finally going our way.

 

...

 

We gathered around as dad and Aaron walked out of the room where Eric was resting, his ankle broken leaving him unable to do much more than sit and wait for us to get back to their community.

"Excuse me, everyone." we turned to Aaron. "Thank you. You saved Eric. I owe you. All of you. And I will make sure that debt is paid in full when we get to our community. When we get to Alexandria. Now, I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather not do any more driving tonight. Um, maybe we can hit the road tomorrow morning."

"That sounds fine." dad nodded, agreeing. "But if we're staying here for the night, you're sleeping over there." he gestured away from the room Eric was in.

Maggie stepped forward. "You really think we got to do that?"

"It's a safe play." dad shrugged. "We don't know you."

"The only way you're going to stop me from being with him right now is by shooting me." Aaron told him, not even considering listen to dad, and he didn't have to. He had every right to be with Eric... they were in love. Which means Daryl didn't have to worry about either of these strange men trying anything when it comes to me.

Dad and Aaron stared down at each other until Aaron moved, about to push through to Eric. Dad stepped froward about to fight to keep him from going through.

"Dad." I stepped in between them, looking at my dad. "Don't." when he continued to stare at Aaron I tried to reason. "He told us where the camp is. And there really was only one other person. Both of them are unarmed. Eric's got a broken ankle, he can't even stand."

"I get it." Glenn came to stand next to us. "I want us to be safe, too. But I can't give up everything else. I know what I said." he looked to dad, the two of them having spoken about something I didn't know about. "But it does matter."

Dad nodded, stepping back. "All right."

**DPOV**

Rick, Michonne, Carl, Aly and Judith were in the car behind us as the rest of our group- with Aaron and Eric- rode in the RV, heading for the community. Alexandria. I wasn't really sure how I felt about all of this.

"It's the right thing." Vic said out of nowhere as she looked down at me, coming to kneel on the floor next to me. "And even if it's not." she nodded. "We're gonna be all right."

"How do you know?"

She shrugged, smiling. "Nothing's killed us yet."

"That don't make me feel better."

Leaning forward, she placed her hands on my shoulders. "Well then, this will help." she pressed her lips against mine lightly before pulling back. "We're gonna be alright."

We were all together. We had a destination. We knew to be ready just in case. We had food, water. There wasn't much that was going against as right now. Things could be a lot worse.

"Yeah." I nodded. "We're gonna be a'right."

**VPOV**

I leaned against the front of the RV watching Glenn as he leaned into the engine. The battery had died, leaving us not that far from our destination, but with Eric's foot, walking wasn't really an option.

Abraham slammed his fist against the RV. "Can't win. Might as well paint it red, put a ladder on it."

Glenn chuckled lightly, the two of them obviously knowing something I didn't. Turning to Abraham, Glenn shrugged. "All we need is another battery."

"Where the hell are we gonna find another battery?" Abraham asked.

I pushed off the RV. "Over here." I gestured for him to follow as I moved to the door, lifting up the top of the step to reveal a hidden compartment underneath, where two other batteries were hidden.

"How'd you know those were there?"

Glenn and I shared a look. Dale had taught Glenn how to fix the RV we'd had. Glenn and I had been best friends- before Maggie and I clicked and she kinda took his place. So when Dale showed Glenn a few things, I remembered some stuff.

"Come on." Glenn tapped Abraham on the shoulder, gesturing for him to step inside as he grabbed one of the batteries.

We'd be back on the road in no time.

**RPOV**

I sat on the hood of the car, as we were parked behind the RV that'd broken down- Glenn, Abraham and Vickie were working on getting it back up and running. Michonne sat next to me, with Carl holding his sister behind us, leaning against the car. Aly was playing fetch with Houdini, throwing a stick, as she stayed close to Carl.

"The fight's over." I looked over at Michonne as she watched me. "You got to let it go. I know it's hard. After it's kept you warm and fed, alive. But the fight, it turns on you. You got to let it go."

"That's what Bob was trying to tell me back at the church. What to risk. When it's safe. When to let someone in." I sighed. "The rules keep changing."

"They did for me."

The engine of the RV started at that moment, everyone cheered as they moved to started getting back into it, ready to keep going.

"Before we get going, I got to... I got to take a moment." I told Michonne, standing up and walking off into the woods.

I kept going until I came to a broken down little house, everything that seemed to have been inside once, now piled up outside, all of it thrown on top of each other haphazardly. But it was actually good for me.

I lifted up a blender, pulling out the gun I had tucked into the back of my pants, storing it in the blender and putting the lid back on before placing it back where it's been on the heap of junk. I knew there was no such thing as too careful, especially when it came to my family. At least now I knew where I could find a gun if the circumstances turned to that.

**VPOV**

Dad stopped the car in front of us, in front of the gates of Alexandria.

My skin vibrated with anticipation. My heart raced. I was both scared and excited. It was a rare feeling, one I hardly got these days, except for the fear... But now? Now I felt as if it was my first day of school. My first date. My first day of work. That feeling you got when you had no idea what was about to come, but there was no turning back. A kind of rush I wasn't used to after all this time.

I stepped up to the door, right behind Daryl, Aly in my arms on my side, with Houdini walking next to me.

I lifted my free hand up to my face, blocking out the sun as I took the wall in, seeing how it towered high and went as far as I could see and further. The sound of children playing and people talking caught my attention as I felt a tiny bit of me relax...

"Let's do this." I smiled lightly to Aly as our group moved towards the gate.

 

**Bamby**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 16**

**Alexandria**

**DPOV**

I just kept telling myself, I was here for the group. For the baby. For Aly. For Carl. For Vic. It was the best thing for all of us. Over and over again I had to keep telling myself, because I just couldn't shake the feeling that this was bad. Every other community we'd come across had ended with at least one of us dead.

The gates began to open then, Aaron and Eric walking in before Aaron let Eric go, his ankle needing to be taken care of. I wasn't really bothered that they were together, but before the world fell apart I would have been... I guess now it didn't matter where you were from, if you were gay or straight, what colour your skin was. We had bigger things to worry about.

The can bin beside us rattled before falling over, everyone turning, weapons raised and ready. But it was just an o'possum. I shot it quick and easy, moving over to lift it up as the gate opened completely, the guy behind it staring at me.

I shrugged. "We brought dinner."

When the guy kept watching us, unsure, Aaron spoke up. "It's okay." he nodded. "Come on in, guys."

With Vic right beside me, Aly in her arms, and Houdini close behind, we followed the group as we walked into the gates of the community. Alexander or whatever it was called. I didn't care about it's name.

The guy we didn't know started to close the gates once we were inside, the metal of the first gate creaking as it rolled against the ground. "Before we take this any further, you need to turn over your weapons." he spoke, turning to us. "To stay, you hand them over."

"We don't know it we want to stay." Rick stepped forward, making it clear we weren't handing our guns over.

"It's fine Nicholas." Aaron reassured him.

Rick went on. "If we were gonna use them, we would have started already."

"Let them talk to Deanna first." Aaron suggested.

"Who's Deanna?" Abraham asked from the back.

"She knows everything you'd want to know about this place." Aaron explained. "Rick, why don't you start?"

Rick turned to the rest of us. "Sasha." he nodded to the gates as the last one was being closed.

Sasha turned, seeing a walker. Lifting her rifle she aimed and took her shot, hitting it right in the head.

Rick nodded. "It's a good thing we're here." he started to follow Aaron as he lead us further in to the town.

**RPOV**

I stood in a living room. An actually living room. There were books, lounges, even a radio and TV. The place was clean too. Not a speck of dust, the floor vacuumed, everything was in order. It was like time had frozen and the place hadn't even been touched by what the world was today.

"Hello. I'm Deanna Monroe."

I had heard her coming, I knew she'd been there. I simply turned. "Rick Grimes."

"You mind if I film this?"

"What?"

She gestured to the camera facing the single lounge across from the double. "Do you mind if I film our talk?"

"Go ahead." I looked out the window to the wall as she moved to the camera. "Why film this?"

"We're about transparency here." she answered as I looked to her. "Please. Sit." she gestured to the chair across from the camera. As I moved to sit she did the same, opposite me. "How long have you been out there?"

"Since the beginning."

"How did you all find each other? Did you know each other before or-"

"We didn't know each other before." I answered, cutting her off, finally siting on the chair, though finding I wasn't sure how to sit.

"I was a congressperson. Ohio, 15th District. You?"

"I don't think that matters any more." I told her honestly. Because after the things I've had to do, I wasn't a cop anymore. I was just a man do what it takes to save his family.

"Oh I know it does."

"What is this place?" I asked, changing the subject.

"This is the start of sustainability. That's what the brochures we found say. This was a planned community with it's own solar grid, cisterns, eco-based sewage filtration. Starting in the low 800,000's... if there is such a thing." she chuckled lightly. "And they sold them all."

"How did you end up here?"

"Well, my family and I were trying to get back to Ohio so I could help my district manage the crisis. And uh..." she sighed. "The army stopped us on a back road and directed us here. They were supposed to come later. They didn't. But there were supplies here and we made the best of it."

"You put up the wall?"

"Well, there was this huge shopping mall being built nearby. And my husband, Reg, is a professor of architecture." she leaned forward. "And who he was mattered quiet a bit. He got the first plates up with our sons. And after a few weeks, more people arrived, and we had help. We had a community."

"You've been behind these walls this entire time?"

"We need people who have lived out there. Your group is the first we've even considered taking in for a long time."

"You should keep your gates closed." there was no doubt about it. If they'd survived here this long, the more people they bring in the bigger the risk. Just look at every other place we'd been too since the world fell.

"Why?"

"Because it's all about survival now. At any cost. People out there are always looking for an angle. Looking to play on your weakness. They measure you, by what they can take from you. By how they can use you to live. So, bringing people into a place like this now-"

"Are you telling me not to bring your people in?" she interrupted me. "Are you already looking after this place?" when I just looked at her, she went on. "Aaron says I can trust you."

"Aaron doesn't know me. I've killed people. I don't even know how many by now. But I know why they're all dead. They're dead so my family, all those people out there, can be alive. So I could be alive for them."

"Sounds like I'd want to be part of your family." she nodded. "Rick, Northern Virginia was effectively evacuated. Millions of people gone. For a long time there's hardly been anyone here, living or dead, but still... We have lost people." she looked down at her hands. "And, uh, I've done things."

"What have you done?"

"I exiled three men who didn't work out. And we both know that's as good as killing them."

I stood, moving to the window, sighing. "What do you want from us?"

"These families..." she came to stand by me, pointing out the window. "These families should be able to raise their children in a safe environment. Your son, your daughters, should have a place to grow up and live. What do I want? I want you to help us survive. I know you can help us do that."

"How?"

"I am exceptionally good at reading people. If I didn't win re-election, I was gonna be a professional poker player." I scoffed but she shook her head, going on. "I'm not kidding. Rick." she looked down at her watch. "It's 3:37 p.m. You're skeptical. You have a right to be. But it's time to decide if you're the one who's doing the deciding."

I looked down at my watch, bringing my other hand to it as I fixed the time. "I was a sheriff."

"Yeah, I knew it was something like that."

**VPOV**

"They're still your guns." Deanna insisted as we piled out guns on to the trolley a woman had brought out to us. "You can check them out whenever you go beyond the wall. But inside here, we store them for safety."

I wasn't sure why they were letting us keep everything else though. Daryl had his crossbow. Michonne her sword. And we all had knives- heck I could accurately throw my knife and kill someone... I stepped up to the trolley, Aly moving from behind me to Daryl as I pulled my gun out and tossed it on the pile. I wasn't even that bothered, I was better with a knife.

Carol came behind me as she started to pull the rifle strap off from around her shoulder. We all watched as she struggled, having to bend her head in order to take it off completely, the gun suddenly too heavy. Walking back to Daryl I gave him a question look, but he was just as curious as me. What in the world was Carol doing?

"Should have brought another bin." the woman smiled as she rolled the trolley away. Carol chuckled lightly back, smiling and watching. Yeah she was up to something.

"Carl." Deanna got all of our attention as she called my brother's name. "Would you like to go next?"

Carl nodded as he stepped forward, carrying Judith. I watched as he walked up the steps and followed Deanna inside, as the rest of us waited.

**CPOV**

I sat in the chair in front of the camera, trying to feel comfortable. "This is the kind of place my mum wanted for us." I told Deanna as she interviewed me... if that's what this was called. An interview.

"I'm sorry you lost her."

I shook my head. "I didn't just lose her." Judith mumbled in my arms as I went on. "I killed her. It had to be me."

There wasn't a day that went by where I didn't think about my mum at least once. I thought about all the people we'd lost actually.

**VPOV**

Carl walked out, Deanna close behind. He stepped up to dad, who was with Aaron. Aaron said something I couldn't quiet hear, but after a moment's hesitation dad and Carl followed him, not before looking to us and giving a short nod to tell us all everything was okay.

"Victoria?" Deanna called. I looked up at her, seeing her smile at me. "Would you join me?" I went to hand Aly over to Daryl when she stopped me. "She can come too."

I looked to Aly who just shook her head. Without saying a word I handed her over to Daryl who watched me carefully. I gave him a nod- just as dad had given us one- telling him I was okay. I'd only be gone a moment.

Turning I headed up to Deanna and past her, walking inside. I came to a spotlessly clean, perfectly organised, immaculately decorated and... wrong room. It just didn't sit right with me. The radio. The TV. No dust. No rust. No cobwebs. A soft couch. A number of bookshelves. A lack of blankets in a corner where someone might have slept to take shelter. Windows un-bordered. It all looked... wrong.

"Victoria?" Deanna walked past where I'd stopped. "Are you alright?" she must have noticed the confused and somewhat panicked look in my eyes at what appeared to be a room that hadn't been touched by the harsh world outside.

It took me a second or two to regain a straight face before I nodded, clearing my head as I watched her sit. "I'm fine."

Giving a little smile, she gestured to a camera that faced the couch opposite her's. "I'm recording this, do you mind?"

I looked at the camera. "If I did would it stop you?" I asked, turning my gaze to her's.

She simply nodded. "I'll turn it off right now if you want."

It was a small test, I wanted to know what she would have done if I had wanted it off. But to hear that she'd listen to my wishes, I shrugged. "Keep it on, it's fine." I moved to sit across from her, in front of the camera.

Nodding, she got more comfortable in her chair. "Do you mind if I call you Vickie?"

I shrugged. "Do you care if I do?"

She chuckled lightly. "I can see you don't trust me."

"I've learnt that people should earn your trust, not your distrust. You tend to get hurt more if you let people in so easily."

"The little girl. Aaron hasn't told me much about her." she started, changing the subject.

"Her name's Alyssa. Aly." I told her as I looked around the room, taking it all in. A few photos. An alcohol cabinet. A kitchen in the next room. A clean fireplace...

"Is she your's?"

I looked to her and shook my head before letting my eyes wander again. "No."

"Did you know her-"

I cut her off. "We found her. She was in another town... like this." I looked at her then, right in the eyes. Holding them as I spoke my next words carefully and emotionlessly. "The leader went crazy and killed half the town's people in a fit of rage."

She nodded only a little shocked, but otherwise kept herself together. "No wonder your people don't trust us."

"Well there's that and the cannibals that kidnapped most of us. And then the hospital people that held three of us captive and killed one of us." I shrugged, speaking flatly.

"Oh my..." her eyes were wide, before they came to look at my wrist. "What happened there?"

I tugged on my sleeve, hiding the bandage around my wrist. "I was attacked."

"By one of the people from one of the places you went to?"

"The hospital. A cop did it... and a lot more." I told her, not saying any more about it as I looked down at the ground.

"Your dad said people are dangerous. More dangerous than the dead. I take it you agree?"

"I've been attacked more times than I can count, almost killed just a little less than that and kidnapped four times. So yeah, I agree."

She watched me carefully, nodding. "What were you before all this, Vickie? I can't tell. With your dad, I had an idea. With you." she shook her head. "I can't figure it out."

"I was a collage student."

"What did you study?"

"Teaching. I wanted to be a teacher."

"And if you had the chance to be one now?"

"I'd say no. There aren't a lot of people I trust, or like. My family, all those people out there, they are everything to me. But taking care of other people? Other people's kids?" I shook my head. "That's not me anymore."

"What about Aly? She's not your-"

"She's mine." I cut her off. "She may not be my blood, but I've taken care of her since the moment I saw her. As if she were my own. She even calls me mum sometimes. But when it comes to other kids? It's not the same."

"So what would you do? If the world went back to the way if had been? If everything changed again and you could do whatever you wanted. What would you do?"

I looked at her, our eyes locked as I thought about the question...

I had no idea. When I thought about who I was now and who I was before, I didn't see the same Victoria Grimes. Now I was a stronger, smarter, faster, more able woman. Not just a girl. Now I was a mother, a survivor, a part of a group I knew would do anything for me, just as I would for them. I didn't belong in the world that was. I belonged in the world that is.

But that didn't matter any way. The world wasn't going to change. How it was now was how it was going to stay.

Shrugging I kept eye contact with her as I answered. "I don't think about life like that. For so long now, I haven't had the chance to wonder what if. And I'm not starting now."

**DPOV**

After Vic walked out of the house and came to stand with Aly and myself I didn't give Deanna a chance to call someone else. I walked up the stairs, wanting this over and done with. So here I was in her living room waiting for her to start interviewing me.

"You're welcome to sit, Daryl. I won't bite." Deanna gestured to the chair behind me as I looked at everything, leaning over to grab some pebbles out of a bowl on the coffee table before dropping them.

Adjusting my hold on the o'possum's tail I stayed standing. "Yeah, I'm a'right."

Not bothering to offer again she got on with the interview. "Daryl, do you want to be here?"

I shrugged. "The boy and the baby, they deserve a roof. I guess."

"What about Alyssa?"

"She don't need one. She's got Vic and me." I looked out the window. "But, she deserves one too."

"Did you know Vickie before all of this? Were you always together?"

"No." I answered plainly.

"How'd you meet?"

"I was fightin' with Rick. He did something, got me angry, we fought. She came in and stole my knife." I wasn't going to tell her what Rick did, how he'd handcuffed Merle to the roof of a building. She didn't need to know that.

She nodded. "We meet people in strange ways these days, don't we?"

I just shrugged, not interested in conversation. I just wanted her to ask me the questions and get this done. The faster the better.

"Daryl. Do you want to be here?"

I looked over at her, seeing her watch me carefully as I carried the o'possum by the tail, standing by the window, unable to stop moving.

"I don't know." I answered truthfully. "I don't know."

**RPOV**

"Both of 'em?" I looked at the two large houses that sat in front of Carl, Aaron and myself.

Aaron nodded. "At your disposal. I'd call dibs on that one." he gestured to the smaller one to our right. "It's got more, curb appeal. Listen, I know you're still feeling us out, but I'm glad you came. Anyway, Deanna's asked everyone to give you your space, so they aren't all coming at you at once, Um, take your time. Explore." he gestured around us. "You need anything, you call me. I don't- We don't have phones. I meant... I'm four houses down."

"Thank you." Carl spoke.

"So..." with that, Aaron left.

We stepped up to the house of the left, walking in cautiously. Everything was so clean... perfect. I just didn't understand how a place could have lasted this long without being effected by the world.

Carl stood in the kitchen, hand on the tap of the sink. He turned it, and water came out... running, warm to hot water.

 

...

 

I'd showered. An actually proper, hot water in a bathroom shower with soap and shampoo and everything. Not just a bottle of water and cloth.

Stepping out, I got half dressed, going without a shirt as I looked down at the shaving cream sat on the counter with a few other things. Opening the draw I found a pair of scissors and some shavers. I got to work.

I wiped the mirror down to get rid of the water on it caused by the fog, seeing my face for the first time in who knows when. And I was shocked. I'd never seen myself look like this. I'd never had a beard like this.

Grabbing the scissors I began to cut bit by bit, to make it easier to shave. Hair fell in to the sink, more and more landing there until soon enough I'd cut as much as I could. Smearing shaving cream onto the hair left, I made sure it was all covered before I began to shave; and funny enough, I actually felt good. Clean, Fresh. Myself- at least a little bit.

As I was just about to finish, there was a knock on the front door. Setting everything down, I carefully made my way through the house and to the door, seeing a smiling blonde woman through the window of it, carrying a basket of stuff.

I walked over, opening the door.

"Hey, I work in the pantry. Deanna asked me to bring these over for you and your friends." she gestured to the basket.

I took it from her carefully, still unsure about all of this. "Thank you. We're just cleaning up."

"I can see that." she pointed to her face where I must have had some shaving cream left. "You still have some shaving cream on your chin."

I used my shoulder, wiping my chin to get the cream off. When I was done I turned back to her.

"I'm Jessie."

"Rick."

"You know, I used to be a stylist. And 12 other things. I could give you a cut if you want." she offered.

"You don't even know me."

"I can take care of myself." she smiled.

 

...

 

I sat on a chair in the kitchen, a towel draped over my shoulders as Jessie cut my hair, standing behind me.

"I have two boys." she started conversation. "Ron and Sam. Ron's my oldest boy. He's about your son's age. I could introduce them if that's okay with you and..."

"It's just me." just me... "Yeah, that'd be great." I nodded.

"I'm sorry."

"Electricity, showers, haircuts..." I sighed. "I never thought I'd see those again."

"Come on. Haircuts were never going away." she joked, causing me to chuckle lightly. "It's okay if you're not okay with this yet." she ran her fingers through my hair before she turned her attention back to the haircut as if she hadn't said anything. "That's better." leaning over she handed me a mirror so I could check my hair.

I nearly had to do a double take... I looked... I looked the way I had before.

**DPOV**

I sat on the porch Vic on the step below me, leaning against the railing as she handed me her knife- I had my own, but it was tucked away. I grabbed the knife and the o'possum, setting the dead animal on to the wooden boards before using the knife to cut along it's gut, tail to head. Pulling out the insides, I left them on the porch.

"You know... the others might want food that's in the pantry." Vic shrugged, looking up at me.

I stopped what I was doing, turning to her. "What do you want?"

"I think there's plenty of space on the lawn to make a fire. I mean, nothing beats fire roasted o'possum. It's almost as good as squirrel or rabbit." she smiled.

I nodded, going back to the dead animal.

The others, they were different. They'd all showered and cleaned up. The washing machine was even running. But Vic, she was like me, more than she was when we first met. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but it didn't change anything between us. I liked her before she changed, and I liked her now. But part of me always loved her I think, from the moment I saw her she'd done something to me.

"You can look. Just be quick." I looked up to see Rick nodding at Carl.

"Okay." the kid agreed before moving to go past me and Vic by the steps. He stopped. "Aly... I think she wants to come too." he gestured to the door.

We turned to see Aly's head poking out slightly. She hadn't said much since we got here. Hadn't showered either. Just stuck by Vic or me, with Houdini by her side all the time- nothing really different there though.

"Just, stay with Carl. Okay." Vic told her.

Aly nodded, stepping out of the house and rushing up to Carl, grabbing his shirt, her other hand coming around Houdini's collar as they headed to the house next door- which was also ours apparently.

Carol followed soon after, all four of them heading inside.

 

...

 

Rick, Vic and I walked around the two houses, checking them over. As we came to the small walk way between the two, Carol walked back from the house next door, heading towards us.

"They're right next to each other, but..." she stated.

Rick nodded. "They took our weapons and now they're splitting us up." he looked around casually. "We'll all be staying in the same house tonight."

**CPOV**

I wanted to check the house out a bit. Right now I was looking at the cd's on the shelf, Aly sat on the couch playing tug-o-war with Houdini, using a tea towel she'd grabbed from the kitchen.

There was the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs.

I looked up before turning to look at Aly, who had stopped playing with Houdini, the dog dropping the cloth from his mouth as he growled quietly.

Moving towards the stairs, I wanted to see what was up there.

"Carl, no." Aly shook her head, getting off the couch.

"I'll be fine." I assured as I headed upstairs anyway.

After a moment I heard the front door open and close, Aly and Houdini leaving me no doubt. But I kept going.

Getting to the top, I looked to the only closed door. Pulling m knife out, ready, I carefully opened it, coming to an unfurnished room that looked like it hadn't been finished before the world turned. But someone had made it their home since then, or at least their hang out. There were some stuff lying around the place, stuff teenagers would have.

I came to a stop, looking down at a comic. Reaching, I picked it up. I looked pretty good...

Folding it in half I held it in my hand as I put the knife away, making my way back to the stairs to go back to the other house.

**  
**

**Chapter 17**

**Small World**

**VPOV**

We were all getting ready to go to sleep. Pulling blankets and sheets out of the cupboard, pillows and cushions off the beds and couch, setting it all up on the ground as all eighteen of us settled in for the night.

I stood by Daryl near the window, looking out. I'd set a bed up for us already, but was too nervous to sleep, so instead I watched as the others got themselves ready. Though Sasha... she was just staring out a window... She'd lost a lot and it was going to take time before she felt even the tiniest bit better.

Feeling someone tug my shirt I looked down to find Aly holding on to Pinky. "Can I sleep over there?" she asked, pointing to the middle of the lounge room where Tara, Glenn, Maggie and Michonne were going to be sleeping.

I nodded, smiling down at her, stroking her hair. "Of course. But hug first." I lifted her up into my arms hugging her.

I knew exactly why she wanted to sleep there. Because it was in the middle of the room where there were lots of people who would protect her if something went wrong. Daryl's and my bed was on the edge, close to the door so if someone did come in, we'd be there for it.

"Night, mum."

"Night, sweetie." I kissed her cheek before setting her down, watching as she hurried over to Tara, sitting next to her as she read.

Tara smiled at her, putting the book down and turning so the two could talk. I loved how everyone treated Aly so kindly. We may be family, but in a world like this it was hard to have patience for a child.

"How long was I in there?" Michonne asked as she walked into the living room carrying a tooth brush.

Dad checked his watch. "Twenty minutes."

She smiled. "I could not stop brushing." she looked at dad, getting a good look, and her smile grew. "Huh. I've never- I've never seen you're face like that."

He nodded. "That's how I felt before and after." he started to walk around her, but she stopped him.

I wasn't interested in listening to their conversation, choosing instead to turn to Daryl. "You feeling okay about this?" I asked him as he sat on the long wooden bench under the window.

He shrugged. "Don't got a choice, do I?"

Sighing, I stepped closer, resting my hand on his shoulder. "If you want to say something- if there's something that doesn't feel right, or if you're feeling uncomfortable- you can talk to me, Daryl."

Nodding, he looked up at me. "I know."

A knock on the door had me step back as Daryl got to his feet, my hand now on my knife just in case.

Dad opened the door, revealing Deanna.

"Rick, I-" she cut herself off, looking up at his cleanly shaven face. "Wow." dad just sighed. "I didn't know what was under there. Listen, I don't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were all settling." she looked over into the living room, seeing all off us. "Oh, my. Staying together." she nodded. "Smart."

"No one said we couldn't" dad noted.

"You said you're a family. That's what you said." she looked to each of us. "Absolutely amazing to me how people with completely different backgrounds and nothing in common can become that. Don't you think?"

"Everybody said you gave them jobs." dad noted, changing the subject.

We hadn't all gotten jobs yet...

"Mmm-hmm. Yeah, part of this place. Looks like the communists won after all." she chuckled.

"Well, you didn't give me one." dad shrugged.

"I have. I just haven't told you yet. Same with Michonne. I'm closing on something for Sasha. I have an idea for Victoria. And I'm just trying to figure Mr Dixon out. But I will." she nodded, turning back to dad. "You look good." with that, she left.

**RPOV**

It was the next day, the sun was up and everyone seemed to be ready to look around. I walked out of the house, seeing Daryl on the porch, Aly sitting on the ground next to him watching as everyone else was heading out- though I wasn't sure where Vickie was.

"They said explore." I told them. "Let's explore."

Daryl shook his head. "Nah, I'll stay."

Giving a short nod, I moved to the stairs. "Aly, you wanna come? Maybe take Houdini for a walk?"

She shook her head as well. "I'm staying. Dini is staying too."

"All right." I went to move and found my eyes looking up the road, seeing all the perfectly sweet houses. Stopping myself I allowed a moment to remember how things used to be. "Lori and me, we used to drive through neighbourhoods like this, thinking one day..." I let the sentence end short.

"Well, here we are." Daryl shrugged, I could tell he didn't feel right about all of this.

Sighing, I moved down the stairs finally. "We'll be back."

I walked out into the middle of the road, seeing Jessie and two boys- which must have been her sons Ron and Sam- walk across the street. It's then I felt my heart racing as I looked around... where were Carl and Judith?

I ran, feet pounding the pavement as I tried to look for them, running down the street and the turning, before turning again, running behind houses, having no idea where my kids were.

I wasn't looking where I was going in all my worry, which lead me to bump into something, the metal clanging as it fell to the ground.

"Rick, you okay?"Jessie walked out of the garage I was by.

"Did Carl and Judith walk by? We were out and they were ahead of me." I looked around frantically.

"It's okay. I think I know where they are." she nodded before walking off, gesturing for me to follow.

 

...

 

"That's Natalie and Bob Miller." Jessie gestured to a house where an old couple sat, Carl by them as they looked up at Judith. "They had five kids and twelve grandkids. It's been a long time since anyone has seen a baby. She's gonna have to put up with some pinched cheeks."

"Thanks. I just, um..."

"It's okay. I get it."

We watched Carl and Judith with the old couple.

"Look I'm sorry I broke whatever that was I broke." I turned to her.

"It's a sculpture I'm making with the boys. It's an owl. I mean, it will be. I just can't get the eyes right."

I nodded. "Right, the eyes.

"You didn't even get a good look at it." she grinned.

I sighed. "I was in the middle of losing my mind. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

I turned, about to head over to Carl and Judith.

"Hey, Rick, would it be okay if Carl came over now? Ron really wants to meet him."

I simply nodded, giving her a small smile before turning and walking to my kids.

**CPOV**

"We're almost always here after school, so come by anytime." Ron told me as he lead us through a hallway.

"You go to school?" I hadn't even thought about school in years.

"It's in a garage. Uh, little kids go in the morning and then its us in the afternoon. Probably you, too, right?"

"Probably." I shrugged.

We got to the door of a bedroom, coming to a stop, seeing two others inside. A girl and a guy... I recognized the girl. I'd seen her outside when we'd been heading into the gates...

"Guys, this is Carl. Carl, this is Mikey," Ron pointed to the guy. "And Enid." he pointed to the girl.

Mikey stood, walking over to us. "Hey."

"Hi." Enid didn't move just kept reading her comic.

"Enid's from outside, too." Ron put his hand on her shoulder. "She just came eight months ago."

"Oh, um, is this yours?" I pulled out the comic I had found yesterday.

"Sorry. we didn't know you guys got that house." Ron grinned.

Mikey nodded. "We mostly just hang out there and listen to music. That's Enid's."

She took the comic out of my hands without a word. Without even looking at me. Which had me looking at her. Curious. Why had seen been outside the walls? Why wasn't she looking at me? Did she think I would tell? because I knew she saw me yesterday too.

"Want to play some video game?" Ron asked. "Or, Mikey's house has a pool table, but his dad's strict about it, so..."

"It's okay. He's at work." Mikey shrugged.

I just stood there froze. Video games... Pool table... Music... It was all so strange. It was all so... normal I guess. I mean before everything happened. Now? Now it just seemed out of place. To me at least.

"Um..." I had no clue.

"Sorry, I guess we come on kind of strong. We can just hang out." Ron suggested.

"You don't even have to talk if you don't wanna." Mikey added.

"Yeah." Ron nodded. "Took Enid three weeks to say something."

"Pull it together sport." Enid said flatly.

"Let's um... Let's play some video games." I gestured to the tv.

"Cool, yeah." Ron grinned.

 

...

 

Dad walked into the bedroom I was in, lying on the bed as I looked up at the roof.

"Hey. How was Ron's house?"

"What do you think of this place?"

He sat on the bed by my legs. "Well, I think it seems... nice."

"Yeah I like it here. I like the people. But they're weak." I said honestly. "And I don't want us to get weak too."

He nodded. "Hmm." looking away from me, I could see he was in deep thought.

**RPOV**

I stood by the window, everyone else asleep. I couldn't though. There was just too much going on in my head. I wasn't sure if this had been a good idea or not...

Michonne came to stand next to me. "Deanna hasn't given me a job yet."

"You want one?"

"Yeah. Do you?"

"I'm not signing the papers. That's saying, 'Yes, this is how it is.'."

"You afraid to do that?"

"Are you?" I asked, looking away from the window.

"No." she answered right away.

"So then why are we both awake?" I noted turning back to the window, looking out as I took everything in. I wasn't sure if I was waiting for something to happen... or wanting it to. "I'm gonna take a walk." I told her as I turned again, heading for the door.

Walking out, my jacket now on, I headed down the street, needing to think some things over. There was just too much going on in my head for me to think clearly...

"You're Rick." I came to a stop, looking over at a porch, seeing a man sitting there barely enough light to be seen as he smoked, watching me.

I nodded. "Yeah.

"My wife cut your hair." so, Jessie had a husband...

"Yeah." I repeated.

"Welcome to Alexandria."

**DPOV**

Day two and everyone seemed to be settling in, going to their jobs or walking the streets. Yesterday Vic, Aly and myself had stayed home, still un-showered, in our dirty clothes, ready for something to happen. As much as we didn't want things to go bad, someone had to be ready for when the time came.

Carol walked out of the house, dressed in God knows what. A blue jacket thing, white collared top, ironed pants. "Time to punch the clock and make the casseroles."

"What?"

She fixed up her jacket. "Make dinner for the older people, mums who need a break, people who can't cook. Get to meet the neighbours that way."

I scoffed. "A'right."

"Have you taken a shower yet?"

"Mmm-hmm." I nodded, lying.

She glared. "Take a shower. Vickie and Aly too. I'm gonna wash that vest. We need to keep up appearances, even you." she walked down the steps.

"Hey, I ain't startin' now." I argued.

"I'm gonna hose you down in your sleep." she called as she started down the path.

"You look ridiculous." I told her, making Aly laugh next to me. I looked down at her. "You like that?"

She nodded. "Carol looks like an old lady." she giggled.

I just shook my head, grinning at her before turning back to my crossbow, working on it.

The front door of the house closed. I looked up, seeing Vic standing there and I had to stop myself before my jaw dropped.

I'd never seen her like that... she'd showered but that wasn't what had me staring. Her hair that she usually had up and out of her face was pulled over her shoulder, tied up but loose. She wore jeans- clean, un-ripped jeans that hugged her legs- and a cream tank, thin pink woolen jacket, with brown boots. She looked ready for action, but laid back and ready to relax a little as well.

She blushed as I kept looking at her. "What? Is it that bad?"

Aly got up, running over to Vic and jumping into her arms, shaking her head. "You look beautiful."

It was true, she did. She looked like a girl I would never have gotten before the world fell... but one I'd pine over. The kind Merle used to tell me would be too much work 'cause they wouldn't have a clue what to do, all innocent with a pretty face.

But Vic was nothing like that.

"You headin' out?"

She shrugged lifting her arm to show the bandage. "Rosita's working with the doctor they have here. She thinks I should get it checked out just in case."

"You goin' alone?"

"Well, I shouldn't be gone too long." she smiled at Aly as she put her down. "And I'm sure the two of you will be fine here."

"Got your knife?"

Pulling it out from where she'd tucked it into her boot, she showed me. "Always."

"Good." I nodded, and then she walked off, heading further into the town.

**CPOV**

I sat in he lounge room, bored. I wasn't really sure what to do. Dad was going out, he'd told me he needed to go somewhere, but didn't say anything else. Everyone was starting work today. Michonne was exploring again. Vickie was going to the doctors. Daryl and Aly didn't seem to be going anywhere...

I was bored, and I wasn't used to being bored. Out there, outside the walls, when you're with the walkers. It's about survival. You're alway thinking about what to do next. You're always coming up with new ways to survive. You're always fighting.

Sighing, I looked up, out the window, which is when my eyes landed on Enid, a back pack on her back as she headed for the wall, using climbing it like she'd done it dozens of times before.

I moved to the front of the house, looking out the window to see Daryl and Aly, Houdini too, sitting on the porch still.

Turning I headed for the back door, sneaking out and moving to the wall where Enid climbed. I'd watched her, so I knew how she'd done it. Following her steps I made my way up the wall and over before I started to follow her through the woods.

We didn't get very far before she seemed to have just disappeared... but I wasn't going to give up. So I just kept going.

**VPOV**

My wrist was just sprained, which is exactly what I had thought. It was just taking awhile to get better because I wasn't giving it time to do exactly that. All the action we'd gotten outside the walls, fighting walkers, people, doing whatever it takes, I'd used my wrist so much it was taking longer to heal.

"Victoria?"

I came to a stop, looking over to see a group of people- most of which I knew- on the other side of the road. Along with Glenn, Tara, Noah and Nicholas- the guy who'd been by the gate when we got here- was another familiar face... Aiden. He grinned coming towards me, the other's confused.

"You two know each other?" Glenn asked as they stopped in front of me.

Aiden shrugged, nodding. "Victoria and I met once or twice."

"My friends and I went road tripping to a few colleges after high school. Aiden was at a party at one of the colleges. His friend knew my friend." I explained. "It's a small world."

He grinned. "Yeah, it is. Didn't know you were with the group."

"Well, I am."

He looked me up and down. "You've changed."

"You haven't." I gave a light smile, causing his grin to widen.

"Your man make it?" he asked, half jokingly and half curious.

Aiden was one of the guys who'd liked me, but hadn't stood a chance because I'd been so hung up on Shane. He'd also been the only one to realize there'd been someone in my life, even though I hadn't told a single soul.

I could see in his eyes, that look he'd gotten the first time he'd seen me. The one that said, 'Yeah, this girl looks nice. I could take her home to mum and then later we could fool around'. The look guys got when they thought you were girlfriend material. Sure, he was an okay guy. Most of him was good. But he could be a major douche bag, and a major asshole. Two traits you don't really want in a boyfriend. Even if I hadn't been with Shane, Aiden hadn't stood a chance...

I shook my head. "He died... after he stopped being my man."

"Oh." his eyes lost a little bit of it's light as he nodded. "I'm sorry. If you ever wanna talk-"

Glenn cut him off. "The guy she's with now... he'd kill you before you got the chance to say a single word." he warned.

Aiden looked from him to me and I nodded. "He's not joking."

"Well, it's no surprise you're taken." Aiden joked, back to the easy going guy he could be- at times. "We're gonna head out. You wanna come? Check out the terrain?"

I shook my head. "Think I'll explore the town a little more. I'm already familiar with the outside." I told him before giving each of them a nod and walking off, heading back home.

Nearing the house, before I was spotted by Aly, Houdini or Daryl, I couldn't help but notice someone climbing up the wall surrounding the community. But not just someone... Carl.

"You've got to be kidding me." I groaned, changing course as I started to follow, climbing up and over the wall. The idea of my brother being out there, yeah it didn't sit right with me, so of course I followed.

**RPOV**

I made my way to the little run down house from a few days ago before we'd gotten t the community, Alexandria. The pile of junk seemed to be untouched as I crouched down beside it, lifting the blender where I'd stashed the gun.

But as I took the lid off, I found I was mistaken, the gun was gone...

I threw the blender down, while my head filled with scenarios that could explain where the gun had gone.

For one, someone completely random, who knows nothing about Alexandria or our group, could have come across the pile of stuff and searched through it in hopes of finding supplies or something. Or maybe someone from my group had followed me, saw me put the gun here, and come before I did to give it to the people in Alexandria, to keep me from making a mistake they thought I may make.

But I knew, those two options were less likely than the one that had my blood boiling. Someone from the community had spotted me, and taken the gun...

I turned at the sound of walkers, seeing four head my way. I got to my feet, putting my gun away and pulling my knife out as I got ready to deal with them.

Out of nowhere, Carl walked out of the bushes, heading towards me We didn't say anything to each other. Just looked to the walkers, both our knives out.

"Get ready." I told him.

The first walker went for me. I pushed myself against it, stabbing it in the head as I did so, right in the temple. Moving on to the next walker I grabbed it's shoulder backing up as it fought against me, only to have another grab my ankle- the walker had been under some of the junk.

Carl stepped forward, stabbing the walker I held in the head as I did the same before I pulled my leg from the other walker, stepping back.

I grabbed a metal rode from the pile, about to use it to kill the walker.

"Dad." Carl gestured for me to give it to him, so he could kill it.

I handed it over, watching as he went to kill the walker. But before he did, a knife came flying out of nowhere, burying itself into the walker's head.

We both turned seeing Vickie standing behind us.

She shrugged. "You think I was gonna let you two have all the fun?"

**VPOV**

Dad, Carl and I walked through the gates only to see people crowded around, Glenn, Deanna and Aiden in the middle of it all. Aiden turned to Glenn, swinging his fist, but Glenn ducked, punching him in the nose quickly and sending Aiden down to the ground.

"I said that is enough!" Deanna yelled.

Daryl ran, slamming into Nicholas before he could attack Glenn. The two of them fell to the ground as Daryl held him there,  _choking_  him.

I rushed over. "Daryl!" grabbing his shoulders I tried to push him off. "Daryl, don't do this. Don't."

He reluctantly pulled back, and I moved to stand in front of him, hand on his chest as I backed him up a little more until Nicholas was up and had moved away. Keeping my eyes on Daryl I watched him cautiously, seeing him watching the others just as carefully.

"It's okay. Glenn's okay. We're all okay." I told him, trying to get him to relax.

"I want everyone to hear me, okay?" Deanna called out. "Rick and his people are a part of this community now and always, as equals. Understood?" I looked over at her, seeing her turn to Aiden.

He shrugged. "Understood."

"All of you, turn in your weapons." Deanna ordered before gesturing to Nicholas and Aiden. "Then you two come talk to me."

I looked back at Daryl then, seeing him relax a little. "You good?"

His eyes locked onto mine. "Where'd you go?"

"Carl went over the wall, I followed." I answered truthfully.

With that, he nodded, stepping closer to me, his hand coming to rest on my side as he looked behind my shoulder. I turned my head enough to see Aiden looking our way as he walked off with Nicholas...  _Great. Just what I need._ I was sure Daryl wouldn't let me out of his sight ever again now... not with the look Aiden was giving us.

"Come on." I started walking, heading back for the house.

**DPOV**

I stood out on the porch, smoke in hand as I leaned against the post, looking out at the street, Vic sitting on the step, petting Houdini absentmindedly. I could tell she was thinking about something real hard.

Rick walked out, dressed in a cop uniform. "We good?" he asked.

"Yeah." I shrugged. "You a cop again?"

He sighed as Carol walked out the other door, her and Vic coming to stand with us.

"I'm trying it on for size." he answered.

"So, we're staying?" I wasn't sure if Carol liked or didn't like the idea. But I wasn't even sure how I felt about it either.

"I think we can start sleeping in our own homes." Rick shrugged. "Settle in."

"If we get comfortable here, we let our guard down, this place is gonna make us weak." Carol noted.

"Carl said that. But it's not gonna happen." Rick walked up to the railing, looking out. "We won't get weak. That's not in us any more. We'll make it work."

"And if we don't?" Vic asked, speaking what we were all thinking.

Rick turned to us, shrugging. "Then we'll just take this place."

**  
**

**Chapter 18**

**Making Moves**

**VPOV**

I rolled over in bed, resting my head on Daryl as I looked up at him. He was sitting up, leaning against the head rest, still really dirty having not showered yet. But I didn't mind. Carol did, she wanted him to shower and start trying to fit in. But I didn't care what he did, it was his choice, and the fact he was fighting this, kinda amused me.

"Morning." I smiled up at him.

He looked down at me, giving a little smile as he brushed some hair out of my face. "Mornin'."

We'd all gone to our own rooms last night, halving us into the two houses we'd been given. Dad, Carl and Judith shared one room. Michonne had her own, so did Carol. Aly had really wanted to share a room with Daryl and me, or Maggie and Glenn, but when Tara saw that the couples wanted to be together, she'd offered to share with her.

In the house next door, Glenn and Maggie were together. Rosita and Abraham seemed to have patched things up and were together again. Noah had offered to share with Eugene, saving everyone else- don't get me wrong, Eugene's sweet but he's annoying. The last two rooms held Sasha and Gabriel.

As everyone had moved to go to bed last night, it'd been a struggle getting Daryl to join me, for a number of reasons. One being that he didn't like the idea of being in a bed, it didn't feel right. Another reason was because we both knew I was still dealing with what had happened to me at Grady.

"You know, I only slept in here 'cause of you."

"Really?" I grinned, shifting slightly. "Why?"

"You know why."

"I do." I admitted, still grinning. "I just want to hear you say it."

He shook his head, sighing. "'Cause I love you."

To this day, hearing those words from Daryl made me feel like I was on top of the world, high in the clouds, a million dollars. My heart fluttered as my pulse quickened. I felt like a little girl again.

"I love you, too." I told him as I moved forward, pressing my lips against his softly.

His hand came to tangle in my hair as he held me against him.

There was a lot of feelings stirring between us. It'd been months since we'd really been close, and I was filled with so much tension and frustration over that fact. I missed being with him, giving myself over to him completely.

But still, I pulled back- mentally kicking myself as I did.

"I'm sorry." I shook my head.

I felt horrible. I could tell he wanted it, wanted me, probably more than I wanted him- if that was possible. But I just wasn't ready. I hadn't fully let go of what happened to me at Grady. What that cop had done...

His hand left my hair before it came to cup my cheek as he looked at me, shaking his head. "Don't be."

I smiled, feeling the tiniest bit better. "We should get up."

He nodded. "Rick wants us to meet him, remember?"

"Right." I sighed. "And here I thought I could spend the day lounging around the house with you, avoiding people."

He gave a little grunt. "Come on." he gestured for us to get up as he moved to the side of the bed.

...

We could hear snarling in the distance as the four of us stood by an abandoned house. We'd told the people at Alexandria that we were going out to teach Carol how to shoot, but in reality we were trying to make a plan just in case things went bad.

"I don't see it, but it's close." Daryl came back to stand next to me, after having tried to spot the walker making the noise. "There's just one of them."

"We won't be here long. So what do you think?" dad asked us.

"We can go in when it's empty." Carol suggested.

Our plan was to sneak into the pantry house where they stored everything. From toilet paper to the guns and ammo; which was our target. We'd steal some guns, and keep them with us just in case things were to go bad. If they did, we'd need an escape plan, which included fighting our way out of there with all our people in tact.

"How's that? It's locked up at night." dad noted.

"The window." Carol shrugged. "There's just a latch. I can leave it open."

I laughed lightly. "A latch?  _Just_  a latch?" these people were crazy stupid and crazy lucky.

"Yeah." she nodded.

"What if one of those pricks shuts it?" Daryl made a good point.

"Wait a couple of days, leave it open again." Carol answered as if it were that simple, and really with these people it probably was.

Changing the subject Daryl turned to look out into the woods again. "It's getting closer."

"We need to do it sooner than later." dad noted, ignoring Daryl's comment as he kept talking to Carol. "Right now, they're not watching us. Not worrying about meetings like this. We may need the guns, we may not."

"We will." Carol insisted. "Whatever way it goes."

Dad nodded. "They're the luckiest damn people I ever met. And they just keep getting luckier."

"What do you mean?" I asked right at the same time Daryl spoke.

"How's that?"

"We're here now." dad answered with a shrug.

"They've got a couple of footlockers just full of 9 mm autos, Rugers, Kel-Tecs, just tossed in there. They don't use them. They're never gonna know they're gone." Carol told us, having already checked the pantry out.

"Someone's got one now, right?" Daryl nodded to the pile of junk we stood by.

Dad had told us what he'd done, and the three of us understood. Hiding a gun, here, close to the town just in case, but no so close people could see him when he got it. Yet still, someone had seen him hid the gun and had taken it, which could mean something very bad, or nothing at all...

"Listen, the others, we want them to try." dad looked to each of us.

Carol nodded to Daryl. "You, too. At least Vickie's showered."

We ignored her as dad went on. "So we keep it quiet. Just us." he nodded behind Daryl and myself. "Here it comes."

Daryl turned, lifting his crossbow. "I got him."

"Hey, wait." Carol stopped him as she lifted the gun we'd gotten from the pantry, shooting the walker over and over in the chest until getting him in the head, no more bullets left. She looked back to us to explain. "We said we were taking me out shooting. I couldn't go back with a full mag."

"Lucky he came by." Daryl nodded.

Dad sighed. "We should get back." we started for the town, which meant passing the walker, as he went on. "You'll pull the latch, we'll pick our moment." he told Carol. "Us? We don't need to be lucky."

Daryl came to a stop, looking down at the walker before he reached for it, pointing to it's forehead. "What the hell's that?" we all came to look. "Is that a 'W'?"

"Yeah." Carol nodded from the other side of the walker.

_What the hell?_

"Come on." dad gestured for us to keep going, there was no point on waiting around, staring at some dead walker's head.

Daryl grabbed my arm, causing us all to stop. "I'm gonna stay. Hunt."

"You sure?" dad asked.

Daryl just nodded before looking down at me. "You gonna stay or head back?"

I wanted to stay, because I missed hunting with him, being out here. In Alexandria it just didn't feel natural. But I couldn't. "I promised Aly I'd help her give Houdini a bath... Sorry."

"It's a'right."

I gave a little smile before leaning forward, kissing him lightly. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah." he nodded. "Just... be careful."

"I will if you will." I told him as I stepped back before turning to head off with dad and Carol, leaving Daryl to do what he needed- because I could tell he was staying out here for more than just to hunt, he needed to be out here.

**DPOV**

I was walking through the woods, listening out for walkers, but I could hear something else, some _one_  else. I let it be for a while but it just kept coming, as if they were following me.

Turning, I lifted my crossbow. "Come out! Now!"

Aaron waled out of the bushes, hands raised. Seeing him I lower my crossbow, his hands going down as well. "You can tell the difference between walkers and humans by sound?" he asked. "Can you tell the difference between a good guy and a bad guy? Rick doesn't seem to be an expert at that."

"Ain't much of a difference no more." I told him.

"That how you feel about your people?"

"Why you following me?"

He looked around. "I didn't know I was. I came out to hunt rabbits. I know why you're out here." he started. "Mind if I join?"

The only people I really liked joining me were people from my group, and even then I'd rather it be Vic than anyone else. But Aaron... I could see he meant well. I could tell he was good, as much as I'd just said it didn't matter.

I turned, heading off. "Keep up." I called over my shoulder. "And keep quiet."

**RPOV**

Michonne and I- dressed in our uniforms- stood in Deanna's dining room, with Deanna herself and Maggie.

"You protect and serve." Deanna explained what our job meant. "You patrol, walk the wall, watch out for the kids. If there's a conflict, you solve it. And people will listen to you."

"Because we're wearing windbreakers?" Michonne asked, obviously unsure about this just as I was- though probably a little less than me.

"Because they believe in the system." Deanna countered. "Because I'm telling them to." she gestured outside. "A police officer used to live here. So we had these jackets and I wanted to make it official. So it's official.

"There's gonna be a government here one day. That's why I want Maggie working with me. There's gonna be a police force. That's why I want you two to start it. I see a vibrant community here with industry, commerce, civilization. Real lives."

I looked away from her then, looking out the window. I couldn't wrap my head around all of her ideas and visions. That just seemed so ludicrous to me. So out of reach and no longer things needed in the world today.

"It might be horse and mills, but-" she stopped herself. "What?" I looked, seeing she was watching me. "Does that sound like pie in the sky?"

"No." Maggie answered confidently.

Michonne answered next. "No."

As much as I thought it did- it was a nice idea but it didn't belong anymore. And as much as I wanted to tell her that, I knew I couldn't. So I just shook my head. "No." I changed the subject to more necessary matters. "Can we talk security?"

 

...

 

The four of us walked along the walls by the solar panels.

"We need a constant patrol along the walls." I explained. "Not just looking for damage, but signs that anyone climbed over in from the outside." we came to a stop. "You can move right up the supports. That's what I'd do." I shrugged. "People are the real threat now."

"Rick, I know you think that we should all be armed within the walls." Deanna stepped closer to me, shaking her head. "I can't do that."

I nodded. "That's fine. But you make these changes, we won't need to."

"Excuse me." we all turned to Sasha as she headed for us, looking to Deanna. "I want to volunteer to be one of the lookouts in the clock tower."

"There are no lookouts in the clock tower."

"What?" I was shocked, angry, worried, confused. Why? Why would they not use something like that to help keep themselves safe? It made sense, to watch out. Even in the early days, they could have used it to see people to bring in if they wanted. But not using it at all? I just didn't understand.

"We saw someone up there earlier." Michonne noted.

"That was am empty rifle my son Spencer put up there. He mans it sometimes, but not often. Look, there hasn't been the need."

"We need a lookout in that tower right now, 24/7." I told her.

"It's the only way we'll be able to see if someone's coming at us."

"Okay, okay, we'll make shifts." Deanna nodded.

"I'll take those shifts, as many as possible." Sasha offered.

Deanna looked to her. "Why?"

"Sasha's one of our best shots." Maggie noted. "She can do it."

"I'm gonna put Spencer up there today. I'll consider you being our primary lookout, but I want something in return." Deanna looked to each of us. "Tonight, I'm hosting a welcome for all of you at my home. I want you to be there." she told Sasha.

"Why?"

"Come tonight." she nodded. "Then we'll talk about it."

With that, Sasha just walked off, not looking too happy.

 

...

 

I was heading back home, to break the news of the party to Carl and Vickie. I knew Carl wouldn't mind, but I wasn't sure about Vickie, I wasn't sure about a lot of things when it came to her these days. I could tell she'd changed a lot, and most of it was good. But I wondered if she was losing everything she'd been once... I didn't want that for my kids.

I wanted them to be strong and be able to survive on their own if needed. But I also wanted them to be able to live and enjoy living. Not just exists. Everything I was doing, I was doing for our whole family, but mainly for my kids.

The sound of women talking had me look up towards a house, seeing three women with Carol, standing on a porch as they all talked, too far away from me to really hear what they were saying.

Carol stopped me, saying something to the others before moving to walk my way, smile on her face.

"You need anything else, you hit me girl." one of the woman called to Carol who then turned and said thanks before coming to walk with me.

I gave a little wave to the others as she came to walk in stride with me, still smiling as she looked around.

"You've heard about the party?" she asked.

I nodded. "Everyone's gonna be there."

"That's right."

"So tonight then?"

"Should be able to slip out."

"The armory's right next to Deanna's." I noted. "I'll back you up."

"People might wonder where their new constable is, or Carl's dad."

"Okay. We can't use Daryl. They're watching every move he makes. And Vickie, I don't think Deanna's settled on the two of them yet."

I understood with Daryl, but I had a feeling the only reason Deanna was unsure about Vickie was because she was with Daryl and the two of them made it clear to everyone- the family, the group, strangers- that they'd do anything for the ones they love. But more than that, they'd do anything for each other.

Vickie and Daryl, they weren't ones to mess with. By themselves, they we strong. But together? Together they were a force to be reckoned with. Stronger than most of our people put together.

"It's fine." she shrugged, going on. "You know what's great about this place? I get to be invisible again."

**  
**

**Chapter 19**

**Dressed Up**

**DPOV**

Walking through the woods, I kept my eyes to the ground for tracks and my ears open for any noise. Which was good, because before long, we heard the sound of a horse. I gestured for Aaron to stop before I slowly moved forward, carefully as the horse came into view, in an open field, eating away with no worries.

"I've been trying to catch him for months, bring him inside. His name's Buttons." when I just turned to him, Aaron explained. "One of the kids saw him run by the gate a while back. Thought he looked like a Buttons." he sighed. "I haven't seen him for a while. I was afraid it was too late." he pulled the bag off his shoulder, digging into it. "Every time Eric or I come close, he gets spooked." he pulled out a rope.

I took it from him, my crossbow now on my shoulder as I got ready to move to the horse.

"Have you done this before?"

I shook my head. "Nah, my group did. But they weren't out there that long. The longer they're out there, the more they become what they really are." I told him as slipped the rope over my free shoulder before walking forward.

I remembered the horse we'd had at the prison. Rick, Michonne and Glenn had managed to get it in. We used him so Michonne could go out, look for the Governor... but when she stayed, Rick took care of the horse, with the help of Carl and Aly. Aly had loved all the farm animals. She and Carl had named the horse, the pig, all the piglets. When Vic and I stayed back too, Aly and Vic spent a good amount of time with the animals.

I reached the horse, moving carefully. "Yeah, I ain't gonna hurt ya. A'right? Come on, boy. Yeah. Just keep on eating." I slowly grabbed part of the rope, getting ready to loop it around him. "Yeah. Good boy. Yeah, you used to be somebody's, huh? Now you're just yours." I was so close.

A stick broke, the horse lifting it's head as walkers came out of the bushed behind him.

"Shit!" I dropped the rope, grabbing my crossbow.

The horse neighed, going back on it's too back legs before running off to safety.

"Come on, they're coming!" I yelled out to Aaron.

He began to shot the walkers with his rifle as I did the same with my crossbow until they got close enough for my to stab them.

Finishing up the last walker I looked around, breathing heavily. "Come on." I nodded in the direction the horse had gone.

**VPOV**

I looked up at dad, jaw hanging low as I sat on my bed where I'd been sharpening my knife. "A party? You want me to go to a party? You want me to dress  _Aly_  up and take her to a party?" I shook my head. "Not gonna happen."

He'd come back from his meeting with Deanna, Maggie and Michonne, where he'd found out we had to go to some welcome party Deanna was throwing for our group... I was clearly not happy with this idea.

"Vickie." he sighed. "We got to make an effort here. And Aly, she needs to meet people. Carl told me the kids go to school here. Deanna will want Aly to go too, sooner or later."

"I'm her guardian, her mother. So I'm pretty sure it's my choice whether she goes to some stupid school or not. And I choose, not." I sounded like a child myself, I knew that. But I didn't like any of this. I didn't want it right now.

"Just- just come to the party. You don't even have to dress up, or clean up. Just come. For me."

Looking up at him, I knew why he was asking me to go. Not because he wanted me to mix with these people, it was because if I didn't go, it would only make people come to me, to get to know me that way. Which meant we'd lose our privacy and could get caught doing things like, oh, I don't know, stealing guns...

"Fine." I groaned, standing up and putting my knife on the bedside table. "But I'm telling Aly this was your idea, not mine. I'd rather she hate you." I told him as I moved towards my dresser to get some clothes out.

**DPOV**

"Can you ride horses?"

"I ride bikes." I answered flatly. This guy just did not know the meaning of 'keep quiet'.

"I take it you don't mean 10-speeds." he tried for humour, and failed. "I know you're feeling like an outsider. It's not your fault, you know? Eric and I, we're still looked at as outsiders in a lot of ways. We've heard our fair share of well-meaning, but hilariously offensive things from some otherwise really nice men and woman. People are people. The more afraid they get, the more stupid they get. Fear shrinks the brain."

I didn't believe that, at least not with everyone. Fear. It brought my group up- most of them at least. Rick, he got stronger with fear. Michonne, she pushed through fear. Carol, she defied fear. Glenn, he broke fear down. Maggie, she fought against fear. Carl, he grew a resistance to fear. Vic, she conquered fear. Abraham, Rosita, Tara, Noah, Sasha. Fear didn't bring them down either.

"They're scared of you and me for different reasons." he went on. "They're less scared of me because they know me. It's less and less everyday. So, let them get to know you. You should go to Deanna's party tonight."

"I got nothin' to prove." I spoke up finally. "I met a lot of bad people out here doing a lot of bad shit. They weren't afraid of nothing."

"Yeah, they were."

**VPOV**

I'd managed to get Aly in the shower and wash her hair, she'd refused all this time, but today I wasn't giving her a choice. And just as I'd told her, she felt a lot better once she'd cleaned off all the dirt and grime.

It had her getting excited, so I let her pick out something to wear today. Deanna had some people bring us all some clothes when we first got here, and as Aly looked through them for the first time now, she fell in love with a dress she found in her cupboard. A sweet purple dress that fell past her knees, with spaghetti straps. I pulled out black tights and a little black cardigan for her to wear, as well as some silver flats she had pulled out pulled her hair into a high pony tail with a little braid in it that she insisted on having... and as I'd done it for her, I couldn't help but think about how Beth had worn her hair like this...

Then it had started, her excitement grew so much we'd gotten into a little argument over what I would wear... Yes, I was arguing about clothes with my six year old daughter. She wanted me to wear a dress too, but I didn't want to. I had to be ready, for any just-in-case moments. Plus I felt most comfortable in jeans nowadays.

Before though? Before the world turned I wore dresses. I wore lots of dresses. And skirts. And cropped tops. And shorts. And high heels. And ballet flats. And pastel coloured things. Pinks, purples, blues, oranges, yellows.

But that was then and this was now... or so I thought. Because by the end of it all, I gave up and wore a dress, even some heels...

In fact, I wore a nicely fitting white dress that fell mid-thigh and had straps that were tied at the back of my neck, leaving part of my back bare. With a thick black belt around my waist, and a simple pair of black pumps, my hair down and wavy, falling over my shoulder, and the tiniest bit of makeup consisting of mascara and a little bit of lip gloss.

"Happy now?" I glared down at Aly as we head out of my room.

She smiled brightly. "Yep."

We came to the stairs, walking down to meet the others in the lounge room. Dad, Carol and Carl were coming with us, along with Houdini and Judith of course. Everyone else would meet us there... although Daryl hadn't been back yet so I wasn't sure if he was going or if he even knew about the party.

"Wow." dad looked up at me as we walked down the stairs, holding Judith. "Victoria." he shook his head, smiling.

"She looks pretty." Aly giggled, running over to Houdini where he stood next to Carl.

Dad stepped up to me. "You look beautiful." he leaned forward, placing a kiss on my cheek.

I blushed lightly, gesturing to them. "You guys look great too."

It was true. Carol, she did a good job with the housewife look, always looking so crisp, and clean, and perfect. Carl, he looked so handsome, I could tell he would have been one of the cool kids if he'd gone to high school. And dad, he looked so young, like how I remembered him to be before.

"Come on." Carol grabbed a tray from the counter. "Let's get going."

**RPOV**

We walked into Deanna's, seeing people already there, talking and drinking, looking so comfortable and 'normal'. Where as, I was feeling anything but comfortable and normal. I felt closed in, like an animal at the zoo all this people were here to watch. I didn't like it one bit.

"Oh, my." Deanna started towards us from the kitchen, glass of wine in hand, smiling. "Welcome!"

"Hi." Carol smiled back.

"Oh, it's so good to see you. Hi, Carl." Deanna came to a stop by us, looking to me. "Thank you for coming. You know, I didn't get a chance to interview this one." she turned her smile to Judith before looking at Aly who was behind Vickie. "Or you."

I looked down at Aly, seeing her hide behind Vickie more.

Vickie smiled lightly. "Come on." she reached down, picking Aly up. "Let's go steal some food." she grinned, causing Aly to nod, relaxing a little. With a nod to us, Vickie then walked off, heading over to the food.

"I envy her." Deanna was looking at me again, nodding to Judy. "Judith. Aly as well."

"Why?" I asked, confused.

"They'll get to see what this place will become. Come. Come on in." she nodded, before leading us further into the party.

Carl headed off over to Ron and the other kids, while Carol went to go put the cookie's she'd made over on the table where the rest of the food sat.

"Wait right here." Deanna looked up at me. "I'll be right back."

I nodded as she left, staying where I was as I held Judith, unsure what I should do. Do I talk to people? Get a drink? Get food? Leave?

"You're Rick."

I turned to see Deanna standing beside me again, a man next to her. "Rick, this is my husband, Reg."

"You're a pretty remarkable guy."

"Well, how's that?" I asked.

Reg shrugged. "I watched the tapes. All of them. The things those people said about you. The things you did for them."

I nodded. "Didn't you build that wall out there?"

"Yeah, I did, with help." he chuckled lightly. "A lot of it. And it's a damned incredible achievement. But it's a wall. Sixteen lives in this world? I think you have me beat."

"Well, we're standing behind that wall right now, dear." Deanna noted. "So, let's call it a tie." we all chuckled, even though I didn't agree or disagree.

Just because he built the wall, and everyone was now behind it, didn't mean he saved them. If anything, everyone who'd been here since the beginning; the people who hadn't been out there and hadn't really had to survive. They were worse off. Because when the time came that they'd have to go out, they won't know what to do, and chances are, they won't survive.

"I'm glad you're here. Now, take a glass." Reg offered me a glass.

"Oh, I'm good." I declined.

"You don't have to be." he insisted.

With a sigh, and a nod I took the glass.

Reg chuckled again. "There you go. Go on." he poured some scotch into his and my glass. "Welcome."

"Thank you."

**DPOV**

We came to field, fenced off all around except for one opening. Walkers were inside, backing the horse into a corner, giving him no place to run, no way to get out.

"Gotta move quick. He's penned in with them." I told Aaron as we stood by the open part of the fence before I started forward. "I got the far ones." lifting my crossbow, I shot one of the walkers moving to keep going.

I heard something fall behind me, turning I saw Aaron go down, a walker stuck under a deep sheep holding onto his pants, as it tried to pull Aaron closer or itself out. Aaron pulled a machete out and cut it's hand off, releasing himself.

I stepped forward, stomping on the walkers head before grabbing the other one who'd managed to get closer, smashing that one's hand against the dead sheep and ground.

"Thanks." Aaron got to his feet.

We could waste more time. Grabbing my crossbow, I turned as he did the same, moving to help the horse. But as we reached it, we came a little too late. The walkers managed to get him down before ripping him apart as the began to feed from him.

I remembered a time Vic and I had seen something like this...

_"What are you doin'?" I asked Vic as I watched her slowly move closer to a walker crouched on the ground, leaning over a deer it had only half eaten, and was still alive- just barely._

_She turned, lifting up her knife. "We can't leave it like that. It's suffering." she told me._

_The walker was so full, it'd slowed down it's eating, making the deer suffer in more pain as it just lay there bleeding to death, some of it's insides pulled out and half eaten. The animal looked distressed, his eyes on us as if he were asking us to put him out of his misery._

_Vic stepped forward, stabbing the walker in the head before it had even turned to look at her. It'd been so full it hadn't even had the energy to turn properly, just kept eating bits of the deer. With the walker dead, she knelt by the deer, petting it to help calm it, before she brought her knife down, stabbing it in the head, killing it instantly._

_She stayed there, her shoulders shaking a little._

_"Vic?" I put my hand on her shoulder, looking over to see she was crying. "What's wrong?"_

_She shook her head. "Something as beautiful as this, it shouldn't have had to go through something as terrible as that." she wiped her cheeks as her tears stopped. Getting to her feet she turned and continued on with our hunting._

_I stayed there, looking down at the partly eaten deer as I thought about what she'd said, what she'd done... The world just couldn't seem to shed the last part of her kindness she was holding on to._

I couldn't leave the horse like this. I couldn't turn and let the walkers slowly kill it. It was wrong. And it wasn't something I'd be proud of. So I pulled a bolt out, getting it ready.

"I got the one on the right." I told Aaron before we moved forward.

We killed the walkers pretty swiftly and easily, they'd been distracted as the ate the horse. So we hadn't even pulled out our guns, and I used my crossbow only once. The rest were put down with our knives.

"Go ahead." I gestured to the horse, telling Aaron to end it.

I lifted my crossbow, watching and waiting as the horse moved it's head a little struggling, and in pain. Aaron lifted his gun, I could tell it was hard, but he shot the horse, he knew it was what was best.

"He always ran." he sighed.

"You were tryin' to help him." I gave a short nod before turning to head back to the town.

**  
**

**Chapter 20**

**Hot Showers**

**VPOV**

"You wanna hang out with Carl?" I asked Aly, who had refused to get down from where I held her on my side since I picked her up. She shook her head. "Judy?" another shake. "Glenn? Maggie? Michonne? Tara? Anyone?"

She grabbed on to me, resting her head on my shoulder. "You." was all she said.

I smiled, kissing her head. "Okay."

"Vickie, Alyssa." Deanna came up to us, smiling, a little boy behind her. "I want you to meet Sam." she gestured to the little boy.

"Hi." he nodded.

Deanna chuckled. "Sam here is Jessie's son, the blonde woman over there." she pointed to Jessie, who I already kinda knew about because I'd noticed my dad talking to her a few times. "And his brother is over there." she pointed to a small group of three boys, including Carl. "Sam was wondering if Alyssa would like to play?"

He lifted something he held in his hand. "You want a stamp?"

"Um, well..." I shrugged. "Sure." I held my hand out in front of him, the one not holding Aly, and watched as he pressed the stamp against my hand, a big red capital 'A' now resting in the middle of the back of my palm.

"You want one too?" he asked Aly.

I looked at her, seeing her shying away, and smiled, showing her my hand. "Come on, we'll be the same. You can even have it on the same hand. Won't that be cool?"

She looked down at my hand for a moment before nodding. I set her down, though she still stayed close to my legs as she held her hand out- the same one I'd held out- and watched as Sam stamped her hand.

"See, that wasn't too bad." I smiled down at her, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. "You wanna go play with Sam? I won't go anywhere, I promise. I'll go stand with Maggie and Glenn, so you know where to find me."

After a moment's hesitation, she slowly nodded.

"Okay, come on." Sam smiled, gesturing for her to follow before the two of them headed off.

"You're very good with her." Deanna noted as we watched the kids go.

I shrugged. "I like to think I am."

"No, really I mean it." she insisted before she turned to me again. "I would really like you to reconsider my offer."

"Offer?" what offer? I couldn't remember anything about an offer.

She smiled lightly. "I want to assign you a job where you work with children. With people. My son, Aiden, he told me how he knew you from before, and the kind of person you are. And I've been watching. I've seen how you handled that incident yesterday by the front gates."

I shook my head. "I did what anybody else would have done."

"You and I both know that isn't true." she gave me a knowing look. "I understand if working with children is not your dream anymore, but I can see you doing great things."

"I'm just one person, Deanna." I noted, not really in the mood to listen to an ambitious speech.

Yet she started one anyone. "We're all just one person, but everything starts with just one." smiling, she went on. "Believe it or not, you are a valuable asset to this community. The moment I saw you I knew you would become a crucial part of building society up again. I wasn't sure how at first, but I'm beginning to see the picture." her eyes held mine as if she knew something I didn't and she wasn't going to tell. "You just wait and see." was all she said before she walked off, leaving me standing there with a confused look on my face.

**DPOV**

I stood outside Deanna's house, leaning against a tree as I watched shadows move past the curtains. I could hear the people inside talking and laughing. I knew my group were in there, Aly and Vic too. But it just wasn't my scene. So I turned and started down the road, heading back to the house- I wasn't gonna call it home.

A porch light turned on as I passed one of the houses, Aaron walking out. "Daryl. Hey."

I came to a stop. "Thought you were going to that party over there." I gestured down the road towards Deanna's.

"Oh, I was never going to go 'cause of Eric's ankle, thank God." he chuckled.

"Why the hell did you tell me to go, then?"

"I said try. You did. It's a thought-that-counts thing."

"A'right." I turned to keep walking.

"Hey, come in." he offered, causing me to stop. "Have some dinner." when I just looked up at him, he insisted. "Come on, man. It's some pretty serious spaghetti." he nodded, walking inside.

**RPOV**

Carol and I stood together, talking as we looked around. The front door opened, Olivia- the woman from the pantry- walked in.

"Look, she's here, which means it's empty, so..."

"I'll go with you." I offered.

"No, remember..." she grinned, moving past me to walk out the back exit.

I nodded. "You're invisible."

She walked out then, and just as she was gone, Jessie moved towards me.

"Hey, Rick, this is my husband, Pete." she gestured to the man next to her, the one from the porch the other night.

"Hey, good to meet you." he reached forward, offering his hand, which I then shook. "I wanted to thank you for taking on being our constable. Keep growing at this rate, we're gonna need even more."

"I hope so." I nodded.

"You want to come by my office next week? I'll take a look a ya." he offered, which had me looking at him confused. "And I probably should have said I was a doctor first."

Jessie chuckled. "I think it sounded nice either way."

"I'm going to get us both a refill." he offered, stepping forward and taking my glass.

"Oh, I can do it."

He turned to Jessie. "I'm on it." and then he walked off. The way he spoke to her, there was something about it I didn't like...

Jessie just smiled at me. "Having fun?"

I nodded. "Yes, I am."

"That was kind of a stupid question, right?"

I chuckled. "No. "

"Still, this place has a pretty amazing view." she looked behind her before turning back to me.

"Yeah?" I looked around, trying to find it.

"Yeah, take a look." she gestured behind her.

I looked over seeing, Glenn, Maggie, Noah, Rosita, Abraham, Tara and Vickie all talking and smiling, and laughing, having a good time. She was right, it was pretty amazing.

"Ordinary life like before." she shrugged. "Well, not like before."

"No." I agreed.

She sighed. "Yeah, no I mean, it's better. Not out there, in here. You know, everyone's been through it somehow. Everyone. And a lot of things disappeared. But a lot of the bullshit went with it." she looked at the others again. "They're all from totally different backgrounds, different places. They never would have even now they're part of each other's lives. They are each other's lives. I'm just saying, we all lost things, but we got somehting back. It isn't enough, but it's somehting."

"No, it was a tie, man." the sound of Carl's voice had me looked behind me. "You saw it, right?" he stood with two other teens, one of them being Jessie's eldest. They were all smiling, having fun.

"Yeah." I nodded. "Yeah, it's a pretty good view."

"Mum! There's no more cookies." a little boy came rushing around the corner, Aly close behind him.

"Hey." I smiled down at Aly. "You having fun?"

She smiled back, nodding, and for the first time- besides whenever she's been with Vickie or Daryl- she actually looked relaxed, and comfortable. Like she didn't mind the place.

Turning to the boy, I shrugged. "Well, I happened to know the cookie maker. She's a- she's a good friend of mine." I nodded. "And I might be able to see about her making a whole batch just for you."

He looked down at my hands. "Mum, he doesn't have a stamp."

"Oh." Jessie looked to me.

"Do you want a stamp?" he asked.

"Sure." I shrugged, offering my hand.

He pressed a stamp onto the back of my hand, pulling it away to reveal the big red capital 'A' that now sat on my skin.

"See? Now you're officially one of us." Jessie smiled.

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"Me too." Aly showed me her hand.

"Hey, Sam." someone called, catching Sam's attention.

Sam turned to Aly. "Come on." he smiled before the two of them ran off.

"Sam, wait, no. Don't run." Jessie called after them, but it was too late, they were gone. Turning to me, she smiled. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah." I nodded as she left.

**DPOV**

I sat at the table with Aaron and Eric, eating the spaghetti that sat on a plate in front of me. I was a loud and messy eater, but I didn't care. Slurping up the pasta, my fork clanging against the plate. They were all signs I was enjoying the meal.

I finished up, putting the fork down, grunting, pleased, as I finished the last bit of spaghetti. "Thanks." I grabbed the napkin next to me, using it to wipe my mouth.

"Mmm." Eric turned to me. "When you're out there, if you happen to be in a store or something, Mrs Meudermeyer's really looking for a pasta maker. And we're all really trying to get her to shut up about it."

He chuckled. "I mean, we have crates of dried pasta in here, but she wants to make her own or something. I really think she just wants somehting to talk about, so... If you see one out on your travels, it would go a long way to-" he stopped, looking at Aaron as the two of them shared a look. "I thought it was done. You didn't ask him already?"

Aaron shook his head.

"Ask me what?"

**VPOV**

"Hey, Vickie." I turned, seeing Aiden heading towards me, two drinks in hand. "Here." he offered one.

I shook my head. "Thanks, but no thanks. I don't drink." I did, on occasion, like very rarely. I just wasn't drinking tonight. Not when I still wasn't sure about the people here.

"Well, neither do I then." he grinned, putting both glasses down. "So, are you having fun?"

"I guess." I smiled lightly. "Your mum just gave me a speech on how I'm important to the growth of this community and society."

He laughed. "Yeah, sorry. She can be a little full on."

I shrugged. "It's fine."

"But are you at least enjoying the party?"

"I'm not bored, if that's an answer."

"It's good enough." he gave a short nod before gestured to my dress. "By the way, you look good."

"Thanks." I smiled at him. "Aly picked it out."

"Aly?"

I gestured over to where Aly and Sam were talking to Carl and the other boys. "The little girl, she's... She's kinda my daughter."

"Kinda?"

"She lost everyone else, I took her in." I shrugged. "I'm the closest thing she's got to a mum. So, she'd kinda my daughter."

"And her 'kinda' dad... is that the guy that knocked Nicholas on his ass and choked him?" I could tell by the way he looked that he didn't like Daryl, though I was sure there were a few reasons, not just because of Nicholas.

"Yes." I answered plainly. "His name is Daryl."

"He's your boyfriend."

I decided not to respond because technically it wasn't a question. But I couldn't help feeling 'boyfriend' just wasn't the right word for what Daryl was to me. He was my partner, the man I loved. Not just a  _boyfriend_.

"So where is, the boyfriend?"

" _Daryl_ 's not one for crowds, and people he doesn't know. I'm sure he's back at our place."

"You live together... must be serious." he shrugged, trying to play it cool.

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to him. "Are  _you_ serious? We met once at a party and you tried hitting on me. Years later, after the worlds fallen apart, you're still standing here, hitting on me at some party. Is there nothing else you can be doing?"

He just grinned. "You should remember, I don't give up easily. I still tried to hit on you after I figured out you had a boyfriend back then. What makes you think things are going to be different this time?" he gave me a quick wink, letting me know he was just messing with me- well kind of. I knew he was being serious as well.

So I took a deep breath, wanting to try and fit in like dad said to, and smiled up at him. "Well then you must remember, last time I rejected you over and over again. So what makes you think things are going to be different?"

Before he could answer he was cut off by a more important voice.

"Mum."

I looked over, seeing Aly head towards me, rushing through the crowds. "Oh." I bent down, lifting her into my arms. "Hey, what's up?"

She rested her head on my shoulder. "Sam left. I didn't want to go."

"Where'd he go?"

She shrugged, but I had a feeling she knew where. I wasn't going to push though, not here at least. There was probably a good reason why she wasn't saying anything.

"Hi." she looked over at Aiden as he smiled at her. "I'm Aiden, Deanna's son."

She hid her face in my hair, looking away.

I laughed lightly. "She's a little shy."

He nodded. "I understand."

"I should probably take her home." I told him.

"Oh, yeah. Sure. It was nice seeing you again." he looked at Aly. "Nice meeting you, Aly." he gave a little wave and smiled even though she was stil hiding her face, before walking off.

I looked at Aly, brushing hair away from her face. "You wanna go home?"

She shook her head. "I wanna stay."

"Well, I'm gonna go home soon. See what Daryl's doing. You wanna stay here and go back with one of the others later? Maybe Tara, or Maggie?"

"Glenn." she answered shortly.

I gave a light laugh. "Okay. Well, let's put you down." I set her on the ground, grabbing her hand. "We'll go see what Glenn's doing, yeah?" I suggested before we both moved to sit next to Glenn on the couch.

**DPOV**

Aaron opened a door, walking us into the garage. I walked down the stairs, looking around at all the parts and everything that was lying around as I walked through.

"When I got the place, there was that frame and some parts and equipment." he gestured to the tarp that looked to be covering a bike. "Whoever lived here built them."

"It's a lot of parts for one bike." I noted.

He chuckled. "Whenever I came across any parts out there, I brought them back. I didn't know what I'd need. I always thought I'd learn how to do it, but I get the feeling you already know what to do with it." I lifted the tarp off the frame taking a look as he went on. "And the thing it, you're going to need a bike."

I stopped looking around, turning to him. "Why?"

"I told Deanna not to give you a job because I think I have one for you. I'd like you to be Alexandria's other recruiter. I don't want Eric risking his life any more."

I nodded. "You want me risking mine, right?"

"Yeah, because you know what you're doing." he explained. "You're good out there... Vickie too. The two of you, out there, you both know what to do. But you don't belong out there. I know it's hard getting used to people getting used to you. And I understand right now you need to be out there sometimes. So do I. But the main reason why I want you to help me recruit- Vickie too if she wants- is because you both know the difference between a good person and a bad person."

I looked at him, thinking it over. I knew I didn't have a right to make the decision for Vic, besides I had mixed feeling about it. I wanted her to stay and come. But it was up to her at the end of the day.

Me? I needed something to do, to keep busy. Doing this, meant going out there, getting out for a bit, doing stuff I was good at. It sounded like a pretty good deal.

"A'right..." I nodded. "Thanks. I'll get you some rabbits."

He chuckled. "Great."

**VPOV**

"You know, Deanna still wants us going on the runs." Glenn told me as I stood, about to leave. "I was thinking, until they give you a job, maybe you could tag along. You've always gone on runs with me, before."

I nodded. "Let me think about it."

"Sure."

I turned to Aly. "Now you behave. And when it's time to come home, no arguing. If Glenn wants to go, then you've gotta go too. Understand?"

"Yep." she smiled with a quick and short nod.

"Okay." I leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her head before standing up again. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." I gave a little wave before moving for the front door.

**RPOV**

"That's a pretty good view, too, isn't it?" I turned away from the window, seeing Jessie coming towards me, Judith in her arms, a smiling on her face. She shrugged. "It's been a long time since I held one of these."

"She, Carl and Vickie." I nodded. "They're why I'm still here. And I get what you've been telling me."

"What's that?"

"Here isn't that bad."

She looked down at Judith who was cooing. "You wanna take her?" she asked.

I smiled. "Yeah." putting my drink down I stepped closer, grabbing Judith. Before I stepped away, I leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on Jessie's cheek.

Stepping back we looked to each other. She blushed lightly before walking off, looking down at the ground shyly.

**VPOV**

Walking down the street, heading towards our house, I caught sight of Daryl, walking down the steps of someone's house as the porch light turned off. He didn't spot me, just turned to head home.

"Hey!" I called out.

He turned and came to a complete stop as he took me in. His eyes went wide as they went from my feet up to my own eyes.

I smiled mischievously. "What?"

He shook his head. "You... You look..."

"And I render him speechless." I giggled, stepping up to him, looking him up and down. "I'm honestly wondering if hugging you is a good idea when you're that dirty." grinning I looked back up at him. "Still haven't showered?"

"No." he answered honestly.

I grabbed his hand. "Well, I have to wash my make up off, so I was gonna have a shower anyway... Maybe you could join me?"

He stopped, looking at me with concern. "You sure?"

I knew why he was suddenly hesitant. There'd been fire in his eyes the moment he saw me standing on the street dressed in my fancy dress and heels. What had him pause was O'Donnell, the cop from Grady. So far I'd still been pretty shy and uncomfortable with anything more than a kiss or spooning in bed. If Daryl's hands started to wander- even while he was sleeping and didn't realize he was doing it- I'd flinch and pull back.

I understood that he- just like myself- had wants and needs. But he understood that I hadn't been ready. At the same time, we both understood I'd never fully get over what had happened to me. What had been done to me, the memory and fear was still very strong.

I stepped closer, placing a light kiss on his lips. Without back away, I let my lips brush his as I spoke my next word. "I'm positive."

I didn't have to say it twice. His grip on my hand tightened before he turned and lead us back to the house.

 

...

 

I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, looking at myself in the dress and makeup as Daryl stood in the shower, washing himself. I could feel his eyes on me every now and then, which had me smiling at myself.

"You comin'?"

"Not yet." I turned to him, giving a wink.

He shook his head, stepping out, in all his naked glory. "Tease."

I laughed as he stood behind me, untying my dress, his fingers brushing my skin ever so lightly as he pushed the dress down to the ground, leaving me in my underwear. My skin tingled all over, like a ripple effect, starting from where he'd touched, all the way out to my head and toes. He promptly freed my chest from my bra, dropping it on the ground as I turned to face him, no longer laughing as I was now filled with a desire to be with him once more. It had been too long.

My hand cupped his cheek as I leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on his lips as his hands grasped my hips tightly. Stepping back, I slid my hands over his before moving them lower, my thumbs hooking into my underwear as I pulled them down, flicking them away with my foot. His hands now off my hips, I grabbed one and lead him into the shower.

He pressed me against the wall as the hot water began to rain down on us, the room getting steamier as time went by. I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling my body ache to be touched and to touch him. Every inch of my skin yearned to be caressed, grasped, kissed, touched.

His lips moved to my skin as one hand grasp my hip, the other grabbing my thigh, pulling it up and around him. His member pressed against me, hard and ready, making everything I was feeling intensify.

"Daryl." I moaned, my eyes closed.

He under stood, as he lifted my other leg, getting me in the right position as he lifted me a little higher. Placing another kiss on my neck, he pushed himself into me without hesitation.

"Oh!" I groaned, feeling him pushing himself as deep as he could go.

He pulled out slowly before sliding back in, gently and careful. I knew why he was taking it easy. Because he wanted it to last. But it had been so long, if we went hard a fast both of us would finish too soon.

"Vic." he groaned in my ear as our bodies worked together, thrusting in a perfect rhythm, our pleasure only growing.

We were both a mess of our own desire as his lips attacked mine as our bodied began to betray us, moving a little faster and harder with each thrust. Every time he pushed in, I felt an overwhelming sensation, like a flood of cool and then hot desire run all over me. My body craved more.

My hands tangled in his hair as I pulled back, moaning. "Harder."

He did as I asked, pumping faster and harder into me, pulling out enough so as it wasn't completely out, but almost. Our bodies worked frantically together as we built up the climax.

"I'm close." I told him, looking down as I felt his hand then rest between us. A simple rub of his fingers against my sensitive nub and I came undone.

It was like the world exploded into a rainbow of colours and nothing bad could touch us anymore. I was well aware of the sounds I was making as heat seemed to spill out of me from where we were connected.

Daryl pumped a few times as my orgasm continued, before he pulled out, finishing himself, the water of the shower then cleaning my stomach up where he'd emptied himself.

My legs were like jelly, barely holding on to him now. His hands grasped my thighs a little harder as I leaned against him, all my energy gone. Carefully, he managed to turn the shower off while still holding me. Carrying me out of the shower as he walked into our bedroom that was attached to the bathroom. He set me on the bed, and I simply curled up, grabbing his hand to pull him down with me.

"I love you." I smiled, feeling myself give into sleep.

His lips pressed a gentle kiss on my bare shoulder. "I love you too."

 

...

 

I woke up early in the morning, looking up at Daryl, seeing him still asleep. It was rare for me to wake up before him. But when it did happen, I loved to just watch him, wondering if he was dreaming, and if he was, what about. It never took long for him to wake though. It was as if he could feel me watching him.

He groaned, eyes slowly opening. "Mornin'."

I smiled up at him. "Morning. Sleep well?"

He grinned, leaning over to kiss me tenderly. "What do you think?" he asked after pulling back.

My smile widened. "I'll take that as a yes." I laughed lightly. "Got any plans today?"

His grin fell. "Yeah... actually." he hesitated before going on. "I got a job. Aaron got me a bike I'm gonna fix up... he wants me to use it and go with him to find more people. Doesn't want Eric going out there anymore. He was wondering if you wanna do it too."

I was sure of only two things at that moment. One, I didn't want Daryl to go. Two, I didn't want to leave Daryl. But I knew it wasn't as easy as that.

"Do you want me to do it?" I asked him.

"Yeah and no." he answered honestly. "Don't want to leave you again. Done that enough times to know nothin' good ever comes from it. But, I know you got things here. People. Your dad, Carl, the baby. And Aly. I don't think she's ready for us to leave her like we did at the prison." he had a good point... "You wanna do it?"

I sighed, rolling over to look up at the roof. "Yes and no." I gave the same answer. "I don't want to leave you. But, I don't want to leave the others either. Going out, looking for people, you don't know how long you'll be gone for." I noted.

"Yeah."

I paused a moment before sitting up, running a hand through my hair. "If you wanna do it, I'm okay with that. But, I think I'm gonna pass. Besides." I turned to him. "Glenn asked if I'd go on the next run, that's only a few hours out of the gates. I get to go out, kill some walkers, be useful, and still come home to tuck Aly in." I shrugged.

"That jackass gonna go too?"

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who he was talking about. "Yes, Aiden is the leader of the run group. He'll be going as well." I turned to him grinning. "You worried?"

"You told me I don't have to worry about boys. So, no."

I remembered when I'd said that... back at the prison, once after Patrick had given me those loved up eyes he always looked at me with. It was also before everything went bad.

"That's right." I nodded, pushing back the memory of my brother's dead friend and our lost home. "You don't have to worry."

"So then, I ain't worried." he gave a short nod as he grabbed my waist and pulled me down to lay with him.

We fell silent then, just laying their, Daryl put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer as we looked up at the roof. It was always nice to have moments like this. It's been awhile since the last one. Have some time by ourselves, not having to worry about walkers, or hunting, or even taking care of Aly- because yes, we deserved some time off just like any parents.

I remembered the first time we slept in the same bed together. Daryl had just saved me from Shane. My dad's ex-best friend, and my ex-boyfriend, had drunkenly tried to force himself on me in hopes it would remind me of how I'd felt about him before I'd broken things off. Daryl had come to my rescue after hearing me scream. He'd pulled Shane off me, punched him, and then practically dragged me out of there and to my room.

I had asked him to stay, and he had. Since then, I don't think he ever really left. I mean, yeah sure, we've been separated plenty of times before. But since that night, since the first time I slept in his arms, I've been his.

I smiled lightly to myself as I turned my head to look up at him. "Do you have that ring Beth and you found at the golf place?"

His eyes went wide. "How'd you-"

I cut him off, shrugging. "Beth told me at the hospital. So, you got it?"

"Nah, lost it with all the other stuff. Left it when I tried to go after the car and get Beth back. Why?"

"I want something of your's, or from you, for when you go." I told him, crawling over and moving so I straddled him.

"You got my knife." he noted.

I laughed, shaking my head. "No, I want something I can wear."

After a moment of thinking, he nodded. "I'll find you something."

"Thank you." I smiled, leaning over to quickly peck his cheek before pulling back. "Now get up. We gotta get dressed and head out to meet dad and Carol again."

 

...

 

"Take your pick." Carol pulled out four handguns from her bag.

We were standing by the abandoned house again, so as we could hand out the guns she'd taken with out having to worry about anyone seeing us.

"Look, I've been thinking. Do we really need these?" Daryl asked. "I mean, things go bad, yeah, sure, we do what we got to do, but it's like you said, we don't need these for that."

"Right now we don't." Carol noted.

Daryl shook his head. "You wanted me to try, right? I'm good." he declined, not taking a gun.

Carol turned to me, my hand resting on my knife. I shook my head. "Daryl's right. Besides, Aly would probably find it, she's always going through my stuff. And that's the last thing we need."

Dad reached over as Carol turned to him. He hesitated for just a moment before taking one of the guns, taking it into the back of his pants.

"You two change your mind." Carol put the guns back into her bag. "You know where to find me."

 

**Chapter 21**

**Mrs Dixon**

**VPOV**

The last couple of days I'd been spending quite some time with Noah. Seeing as he was part of the run crew, I thought it be best he knew how to shoot properly. Tara tagged along as well, just to keep herself sharp.

We were headed back to the houses now, the three of us walking in a line,Tara talking, making both Noah and I laugh.

"Mum!" Aly smiled as she run down the porch steps and rushed towards us. I got to my knees, letting her wrap her arms around me before I lifted her up and started walking with the others. She turned to Tara. "Can you help me make my bed? I tried but Dini woun't move and he's too heavy."

Tara nodded. "Sure. And then maybe we'll take Houdini for a walk? Go to the play ground?"

We'd been in Alexandria for just over a week now and things had actually been surprisingly good. Now that Daryl had a job he spent most- if not all- of the day working on his bike in our garage. Aly watched him every now and then but got bored easily. When she wasn't with Daryl, she had come quite attached to Tara- the fact they shared a room helped as well.

Maggie was working with Deanna during the days, and Glenn spent some time each day keeping track of what we'll need on the next run. So with those two busy- seeing as they were Tara's friends- Tara had built a friendship with Noah, myself and Aly.

Whenever I wasn't training them to fight- I'd even tried getting Eugene to join us, but came up empty handed with him- I found myself with more free time then I knew what to do with. Aly was either with Sam, or Tara, or Carl. She was hardly with me during the day- not that I had a problem with that. In fact, it meant I got sometime to sit and relax, plus I got to take care of Judith a little more now.

Reaching the houses I nodded to Noah. "You did good toady."

He gave a little smile. "Thanks. I'll see you guys tomorrow." he raised his hand and waved slightly before heading into the other house.

Tara and I kept walking, Aly still in my arms. As we got to the steps I set her down and watched as she grabbed Tara's hand and pulled her into the house. I smiled, watching as they went. Once they were gone I headed around the house, moving towards the garage where I knew I would find Daryl working.

Sure enough, there he was, kneeling on the ground, greasy and dirty all over. Angel wing vest on his back, jeans, boots, unwashed and un-brushed hair. I stood there for a moment, taking in the image of him. I knew once he had his bike up and going, he'd be up and, gone too. Which wasn't exactly something I was looking forward to.

"You gonna keep starin' or are ya gonna come in?" he asked without even looking up at me.

Grinning to myself I walked into the garage, moving towards the table where some of the bike parts, and his tools, were set. Pulling myself up, I sat on a bare spot of the table he always left for me.

"How'd the kid go?"

"Good." I shrugged, knowing he was talking about Noah. "I think he's ready for our next run."

He grunted as he got to his feet, pulling his red cloth from his back pocket- the same one he'd had since the first time we met. "Good." moving towards the table, he looked at the parts. "You know when you're headin' out next?"

"Nope." I answered as my legs started to swing as they hung in the air. "Glenn hasn't really spoken to Aiden about it. Those two kinda don't like each other." I noted.

"I don't want you going out without-"

I cut him off, rolling my eyes. "Glenn. Yes I know. You've told me this before, Daryl."

He stopped looking through the parts and turned to look at me for the first time since I walked in. "You know I'm just worried about you. Won't be there. Don't know when I'll be back. Just wanna make sure you're a'right."

"I know that." I grabbed his hand, pulling him over to stand in front of me. "I'm just as worried about you leaving. Heck, I should be more worried than you, seeing as you'll be gone for days at a time. I'll be gone for a few hours, that's all. And I think we both know by now that I can handle myself." leaning forward, I placed a soft kiss on his lips.

When I went to pull back he moved closer to me, standing between my legs. His hands grasped my thighs as he pushed his lips against mine harder, and hungrier.

Grinning against him, I pressed my hands on his chest, pushing back. "As much as I would love to, I don't think now is the right time and place."

His eyes looked at me with a desire I knew all to well. "Come on." his grasp on my thighs tightened as he moved forward again, his lips leaving kisses and light nibbles on my neck.

I could feel myself melting into a puddle of my own need and want. Daryl had that kind of effect on me. One touch, whether it be a simple brush of his fingers against my skin, or a heated kiss pressed to my lips. Anything he did, everything about him, turned me into a helpless being filled with nothing but an insatiable hunger for him.

"Close the garage." I moaned as he contined his assult on my neck.

Those three simple words, an invitation to do his will, got him into action.

As he moved to close the garage door, I started to undress, pulling the stupid blush sweater I was wearing over my head, leaving me in a thin white tank, un-ripped jeans, and nude flats. Before I could continue to undress myself, he came back, moving my hands away from my shirt. Instead of pulling it over my head, he ripped the thin material, impatience getting the best of him. Throwing it on to the ground, I leaned back as he started to pull my pants and shoes off.

Once he stood in front of me again, I grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer and pressing my lips against his, needing his touch, needing his taste.

I moaned as he grabbed me, pulling me along the table until I was pressed against the hard lump in his pants. In a haste, my hands began to work on his shirt buttons, clumsily undoing them.

His lips moved from my lips, down to my neck and shoulder where he no doubt left a mark. I didn't care though, all I cared about at that moment was getting him undressed.

As I pushed his vest and shirt off at the same time, his started undoing his belt and pants. It didn't take us that much longer before both of us were completely undressed. Grabbing my waist, Daryl pulled me closer, my legs wrapping around his waist before he pushed himself into me hard and fast as if he needed to be connected to me desperately.

The groan that came from him sounded like an animal's as he began to work himself in and out of me, hard and fast, wild and intense. Every time he pulled out I felt empty and incomplete, but the moment he pushed himself back in, all the way, pressing against the sweet spot he seemed to find every time, I found myself wondering how I hadn't passed out from pleasure yet.

"Oh, God!" I moaned, my head falling onto his shoulder as our bodies continued to slam and slap against each other.

He pushed into me with reckless abandon, his nails dug into my thighs as he breathed heavily in my ear, panting hard and fast.

I begged for more, needing him completely and absolutely. My hands found their way into his hair, pulling his head back so I could look him in the eyes. Everything inside me screamed for the sweet release I craved desperately..

He looked me in the eyes as our bodies continued to pounded against each other. The desire and passion and need in those eyes, boring into mine as if he wanted to dive into me completely, body, mind and soul. It did something to me, pushing me that little farther until I was over the edge, shaking as a volcano of pure bliss erupted inside me, rippling through my whole body starting from my core.

My head fell against his shoulder once more as I bit into his skin, muffling the wild noises that followed my orgasm.

The moment I was finished, my body no longer shaking as violently, Daryl pulled himself out, grabbing me and pulling me off the table before turning me around and bending me over. My hands grabbed the table for support before he pushed himself back into me, holding onto my waist as he worked himself hard and fast.

"Oh, my God!" my sensitive walls trembled with every thrust as my core readied itself for another release.

Pulling me up into an almost standing position, Daryl lifted on of my legs and set it on a box on the floor, angling himself so he could get deeper as he leaned forward , now holding me against his chest, his lips attacking the skin behind my ear.

"I need you." he mumbled, panting as he pushed himself harder into me. "Need..."

His hand come down, between my legs, spreading my folds. With a light flick against the small button he found there, I felt my legs turn to jelly. Holding me against him in a tighter grip, keeping me standing, Daryl's finger began to work the nub, pulling me towards the edge once more.

He made a noise at the back of his throat as he pushed himself into me once more before I felt the familiar sensation of him emptying himself. His head fell against my shoulder as he rode it out. His finger still worked me, though he'd lost his rhythm with his release.

It didn't take long before everything inside me exploded again. I cried out as the ripples ran through my body once more. When they eneded I was left with nothing. A moment of complete blankness. My head became a foggy mess as all I could feel was the aftermath of our mistrasions.

When I came back to reality I somehow got myself back onto the table- or maybe Daryl had put me there. Either way I knew I was going to be a hopeless mess of sweaty and useless limps for a while now.

Leaning forward, Daryl pressed his lips against mine in a tender and sweet kiss.

I smiled weakly as he pulled back. "I love you."

"Hmm." he nodded, his hand coming to brush some hair out of my face. "I love you, too." stepping back, he grabbed our clothes, setting them on the table next to me. "You should get dressed." he suggested, handing my underwear over, taking them from him I still held my lazy smile.

When he went to turn, I stopped him. "Wait." lifting a hand I gestured him to come closer with my finger. As he did so my smile grew. Leaning closer I kissed him once more. "Mmm." I hummed happily. "That's better."

Grinning he pressed one last kiss on my lips before stepping back and moving to get dressed.

**RPOV**

Aly ran up to me as I did my rounds, moving to hide behind my legs. I looked down at her, concerned.

"You okay? What's wrong?" I asked as I crouched down to her level. "Did something happen?"

I was in protection mode. Aly was practically Vickie's daughter, I'd do anything to keep her safe. Though the fact she was practically my granddaughter didn't change that. I'd protect her even if she was just a little girl in our group.

She giggled, pointing behind me.

Turning I saw Tara looking around, Houdini, sniffing the ground next to her. The dog lifted his head in our direction before he ran towards us, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, tail wagging happily.

Tare followed the dog, smiling herself. When they reached us she stopped, hands on her hips. "I found you."

Aly moved from behind me as I stood and watched them. She shook her head, looking up at Tara. "Nuh-uh. That's not fair. Dini found me, not you. It's cheating."

Tara just shrugged. "I still found you." she grinned.

I cleared my throat, both of them turning to loo at me. "So... you're playing?"

"Yeah." Tara nodded. "Aly wanted to play hide and go seek."

Grinning to myself I nodded, looking away. I'd honestly thought Aly had been in trouble or in danger. I automatically thought the worse, I guess it's imprinted on my mind to think that way now, though.

Aly tugged on my jacket, causing me to look down at her. "Rick, we're gonna go now. Kay?"

I just gave a simple nod. "Okay. Just be safe, and be careful."

"Okie dokie." Aly smiled widely before turning to Tara and tagging her leg. "You're it! You're it!" she giggled before running off, Houdnin following her.

Tare smiled as if she'd had enough, but the smile on her face told me she was having just as much fun as the girl. "I'm gonna get ya." she called before running off as well.

Shaking my head I watched as they run off and disappeared.  _Maybe things are going to work out here..._

**VPOV**

I had left Daryl a little while ago so he could continue working on his bike without any distractions. With nothing to really do, I found myself in the living room, looking out the window, Judy in my arms as I feed her some milk.

"Now, that's a view."

I turned to see dad walking into the house, pulling his jacket off and hanging it by the door. I smiled at him, adjusting my hold on Judith. "We've been bonding lately."

He nodded, coming to stand next to me. "I've noticed." he looked down at her, smiling.

It was a rare smile, one I recognized from the days before everything fell apart. He'd looked at baby Carl like that- I assume he looked at baby me like that. Times when we'd all been together, as a family, and everything was good... He'd smiled like this, then too.

"I just saw your daughter running around. She's got Tara playing hide and go seek." he grinned, his eyes coming up to meet mine.

It was still a little odd, hearing people call Aly my daughter, but I knew she was. I guess I'd adopted her. She hardly ever called me Vickie anymore, always mum or mummy now. Though Daryl was still Daryl to her. I wondered if she saw him as her dad.

"You've always been good with kids." he noted.

I shook my head. "I don't know about that."

"No, really. When Carl was born, your mother and I were worried you wouldn't like him- it's normal for older siblings to get jealous. But with you? The moment you saw him, you looked up at Lori and me and you told us you'd keep him safe forever. It didn't surprise me when you wanted to be a teacher. And then back at Atlanta, with Sophia-"

I looked down at the ground, feeling a stab to the heart at the mention of Sophia...

His hand rested on my shoulder. "I know you still blame yourself for that, and I know there's nothing that can be said or done to change your mind. But you have to know, she loved you like a sister. You cared for her and Carl, even during the mess of everything falling apart. You've always been like that. And in a world like this- when most people have given up on helping the weak and vulnerable- you still put Aly before yourself." he nodded. "It's one of the reasons I'm proud of you."

I smiled lightly. "Thanks dad." stepping closer I wrapped my free arm around him in a hug.

The front door burst open as Aly came running in, grinning from ear to ear. "Look at me! Look at me mum!" she giggled.

I shook my head, looking at her from head to toe. She was covered in mud, tracking it into the house as she ran towards the kitchen.

"Here." I handed Judith back to dad. "I should take care of her." I nodded towards Aly.

He grinned, taking my sister. "You need anything I'll be be here."

"Thanks." I smiled down at Judith once more before moving towards the kitchen where I found Aly a glass of water in her hands. "Come on you." I nodded over my shoulder. "Let's get you in the shower."

Setting the glass down of the bench she moved towards me. "Can I have a bath?"

"Sorry, but I don't know how much water we can use. So for now, we're just using the shower. 'Kay?" I finished as she stopped infront of me.

She nodded and grabbed my hand. "Okay, but I want the pretty smelling shampoo."

I smiled down at her. "Deal."

 

...

 

Aly's shower had been simple. I'd just made sure she was all clean, the mud gone and her hair washed. As much as she still wanted to play after, I told her she had to stay home, it was going to be dark soon and I didn't like the idea of her running around the streets this late. So she had chosen to grab the few toys she had and play in her room.

That meant I could have my own shower. Which I had. Now I stood in my, towel wrapped around me, hair dripping over my shoulder as I looked through my drawers trying to find some pajamas to wear.

The sound of the door closing had me jump and turn. Hand pressed against my chest I smiled at Daryl. "You scared me half to death."

He looked down at the ground as he moved towards me. I knew he was nervous in an instant, we could easily read each other. But I couldn't help wonder  _why_  he was nervous...

"Daryl, you okay?" I asked, head tilted slightly as I stepped closer to him.

Nodding, he lifted his hand and chewed on his thumb nail, a habit he had when he was deep in thought. "Vic, I love you."

"I love you-"

He shook his head, cutting me off. "No, you don't get it. Before all of this, back before everything fell apart, I never loved anyone like this. There was me and Merle, that's it. I was nothin', no one. Didn't know any better. Even if I was with girls, none of them liked Merle." he looked at me then. "You did."

I gave a simple shrug. "He wasn't as bad as everyone made him out to be."

"See, right there. That." he shook his head.

"What?" I frowned, confused. The way he was acting, it was as if I'd done something wrong...

"You see the good in people. You're a good person. First time we met, I tried to hurt your dad. Hell, wanted to kill him. Wasn't exactly nice to you either. But, you trusted me. You liked me. You're nice like that. You took care of Carl and Sophia; and you blame yourself for what happened to her. You forgave Shane." I opened my mouth to speak, to argue that point, but he went on before I could. "Don't. I know you did.

"Didn't want us to kill Randal. Even tried savin' him." he lifted his hand, running a light finger over one of my scars that were showing. "You were taken by men who hurt you, and you fought 'em off. Spent  _eight months_ on your own. You tried to help the prisoners. Risked yourself to save your mum, Carl and Maggie. Didn't give the prison up when the Governor had you. Forgave me when I came back after leaving. You saw Aly and you took her in. After everything the Woodbury people did, you took her in. You spent every day since then takin' care of that lil' girl. You were dying with that flu, and you still fought for the prison. You were shot, and gettin' over bein' sick, but still got Zack, Aly and the dog to safety. You took care of them.

"You and Carol saved the rest of us. Ran into Terminus and broke the place apart. Stopped me from killing Noah. Were taken to Grady, beaten up from the van accident, and you still didn't give in to them. You-" he stopped himself for a moment before going on. "You let that cop do things to you, to make sure Carol was kept alive. We were all dying, starvin' with no water, but you carried Aly on your back. Made sure no one hurt the dog. Now were here, in a town where people got no idea how to take care of themselves. Most of us, we're not settlin' like you.

"I see what they see. Dressed all clean and nice, hair washed and neat. Smilin' at everyone like there ain't nothing wrong, like last few years never happened. But I can tell. There's a look in your eyes, and I know. It would take you second to turn into the woman you were out there. I know you're not the sweet girl you they think you are. You're not the wild girl were back when we found you, either. You're both. You're Victoria Grimes. The woman who changed me. The woman I love." he reached into his pocket. "Beth was right." pulling his hand out and opening it, he showed me a small and simple silver ring with a tiny diamond on it. "Never thought I'd do this." he mumbled to himself.

I'd been shocked enough to hear him say all of that. Daryl, he wasn't one for talking too much. He kept things simple. One look from him and I knew exactly what he was thinking, feeling and wanting. We could read each other perfectly. There's certain things only I know about when it comes to Daryl. There's certain things only Daryl knows about when it comes to me. The connection we have, it gives us something special. I'd be lying if I wasn't grateful for the world ending.

"I told you, that mornin' at the CDC, that you were stuck with me. That I wasn't goin' anywhere. I meant it, Vic. Meant every word."

Looking down at the ring I felt more shocked than ever before. "Daryl are you-" my words got stuck for a moment before I could finally managed to speak again. "Are you doing what I think you're doing? Are you asking me to... you know?"

"Ain't getting on my knees or nothin'." he shrugged.

I shook my head, throwing my arms around his neck. "I don't care. Knees or no knees, it doesn't matter."

He pulled me back, looking down at me. "Don't wanna make a big deal 'bout it. Don't want no party or nothin' like that."

I gave him a sweet smile. "I don't think those things really happen anymore... Or well maybe here they do." I noted.

He shook his head. "Don't want that. Just want you to be mine."

"I was always your's." I noted, feeling my heart swell as I looked into his eyes, seeing how nervous he was.

Dressed in a towel, my hair dripping, while he was a mess from working on this bike all day... we did not look dressed for the occasion. He was older than me. He was a dirty, tough red neck, I was a simple small town girl. We didn't match, not in the world before. We were oppostites. Yet at the same time we weren't.

"Yes."

He looked surprised. "What?"

"Yes." my smile widened.

His eyes lit up and before I knew it, his lips were pressed against mine. There was nothing sweet or soft about the kiss though. It was as if my answer let out the animal in him. And soon enough my towel, his clothes, and the ring, were all forgotten.

 

...

 

Laying on the bed, blanket covering me, my head in Daryl's lap I looked up at the ring on my finger. "So, am I Mrs Dixon?" I asked, turning my head to look up at him.

He was sitting on the bed, the blanket covering most of his legs. Hair messier than usual, smoke in between his lips. He looked sedated and relaxed. More relaxed than I'd seen him in awhile. It was actually pretty sexy, his I-just-had-wild-and-intense-sex-for-the-second-time-today look.

Shrugging, he took the cigarette out from his lips. "You wanna be Mrs Dixon?"

"I don't know..." I looked back to the ring again. "Victoria Dixon... Victoria Grimes... Victoria Grimes-Dixon... Victoria Dixon-Grimes... Which one sounds right to you?"

"Vic." he answered.

Grinning I looked up at him again. "That's not helping."

"Don't care what you wanna be called. Don't care if you take my name or not. Just care that you're mine."

"I was always your's. And you were always mine."

"Don't you forget it." he grinned, leaning down and kissing me softly.

I sighed, content and happy. Shifting I rolled over so I was facing him, watching as he continued to smoke. It was funny how that didn't bother me. Before everything had happened, when I was still just a college girl, I hated smokers. I even stopped being friends with a girl I'd known since I was a toddler, just because she started smoking. But when it came to Daryl, I didn't mind. In fact I had never really given it a second thought.

"So where did you get this ring?"

He shrugged, looking down at me. "After you left the garage today, I went outside the gates for an hour or so. Hunted some rabits for Aaron. Came across a walker, saw this on her finger, thought of you. Remembered how you said you wanted something from me for when I go away."

"So you stole a dead person's ring? You killed a walker and took it's ring off it's dead, gross finger?"

He hesitated before answering. "Yeah..."

Laughing, I sat up, pressing my lips against his. "God I love you."

I didn't care where he got the ring from. I wouldn't have even cared if he'd given me something before he left or not. Everyone knew Daryl and I were together. But really, that didn't even matter. All that mattered was that Daryl knew how I felt about him, and I knew how he felt about me.

**  
**

**Chapter 22**

**Not Clear**

**VPOV**

I stood next to Daryl by his bike as he waited for Aaron. Today was the day he'd be going out there, looking for more people to bring back. We had no idea how long they'd be gone for. We weren't even sure where they'd be going. All I knew was that for the next couple of days at least, Daryl would be gone...

Wrapping my arms around him, I rested my head against his chest. "I love you."

His hands rested on the small of my back, and on the back of my head. "I love you too."

"Come back to me okay?"

"Always do."

"Daryl!"

We both turned and looked down the road towards the houses seeing Aly and Houdini come running towards us. Michonne was following them, dressed in her cop uniform. Aly stumbled as she ran, tripping on Daryl's poncho that she was wearing.

Shaking his head, Daryl moved to help her, picking her up. He looked at her in a way he never looked at anyone, not even me. It kind of reminded me of the look my dad gave Judith when I'd been holding her the other day.

"Do you have to go?" she asked. I could tell she was trying not to whine, but part of her couldn't help itself. She was only a little girl, mind you, and she loved Daryl. I understood why she'd be upset about him leaving.

He just gave a short nod. "Every bodies got jobs to do."

"Why can't you get a new job?"

I could see Daryl wasn't sure how to answer, so I stepped in. "Because Aaron needs someone to go out there with him. His friend, you remember Eric, he hurt himself so he has to stay home. Daryl's going out there to keep Aaron safe."

"You don't want Aaron to get hurt, do you?" Michonne added as she and Houdini came to join the rest of us.

Aly turned to her, still in Daryl's arms. "No. I like Aaron."

"I like you too, Aly." Aaron came to join us then. "Sorry, I overheard."

"That's fine." I offered him a smile.

"We headin' off?" Daryl asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice. I knew he'd hoped for a little more time with us before he had to go.

But Aaron nodded. "Yeah."

"Here." I offered to take Aly, but Daryl hesitated. "We'll be okay. I promise."

Nodding, he handed Aly over, leaning forward to kiss me as he did so. When he pulled back he looked me in the eyes. "You go on this run today, I want you staying with Glenn or Tara. Don't be a hero. Don't do anything stupid."

"Okay." as much as I knew doing what he asked was easier said than done, I also knew I had to agree or he'd never leave.

"You get back, you stay here. Don't leave by yourself." he looked to Aly. "And you do what Vic tells you to. You be careful, okay?"

She gave a stern nod. "Carol said I can stay with her at the house today. We're taking care of baby Judy."

Daryl ruffled her hair a little before turning to Michonne. "You take care of 'em."

It wasn't a question. It wasn't even an order. Daryl was just confirming what he already knew. Because whenever he was gone, everyone knew to watch out for Aly a little more than usual, and to keep an eye out for me- even though I was perfectly capable to take care of myself.

"Daryl we'll be fine." I gave him a reassuring smile. "Now go. Before Aaron get's impatient."

With a short, simple nod, Daryl turned and got on to his bike. He gave us one last look as the gates were opened and he started his bike. Then, with no more time to waste, he was off, Aaron driving right behind him.

Aly waved as she watched them go, her free hand grasping onto my cardigan. Her knuckles were white with her tight grasp, her eyes going watery.

Brushing her hair behind her ear I kissed her cheek, holding her closer to me. "It's okay. He'll be back before you know it."

"How do you know?" she asked, trying not to cry.

There was only one answer I had, and only one I needed, because I knew it was exactly what she had to hear. "It's Daryl."

 

...

 

We were packing up the van, getting ready for our first real run since we'd been here. Eugene was tagging along, seeing as he knew what it was we actually needed. The power had gone out, and in order to get it going again, there was one part we were missing, which was the reason why we were going on his run.

"Oh, no, thank you." Eugene spoke. I looked over to see Noah handing him a gun.

When Eugene didn't take it, Nicholas walked past them. "Just take it."

"Come on, you got to protect yourself." Noah noted, trying a softer approach.

"Not if I don't go." Eugene was dead set on staying.

I was about to step up to speak when Aiden beat me to it. "We're not driving all that way so we can just drive back with the wrong shit."

"It's a dozen of these. They're consistant in appearance across manufacturers. Okay? The shit will be right. I will install said shit. Then the grid will be fully operational again." Eugene argued.

I stepped up to them then, taking the gun from Noah. "Don't argue. Just do it." I told him before pressing the gun against his chest.

He looked down at the gun and then at me before giving up, taking it. With that, Noah and I grabbed some more things, moving next to Tara as we all stepped up to the van and put the stuff inside of it.

"Heard you talking to Holly last night." Tara started, talking to Noah. "What's her story?"

"Why do you ask?" he turned to her, grinning.

She shrugged, grinning back. "No reason."

Shaking my head I smiled. "Yeah, sure. Like we believe that." we all knew Tara was a lesbian, but that didn't really matter these days. At least it shouldn't.

"Don't make me hurt you." she nudged me.

"Vickie." Noah gestured down the road.

I followed his gaze, finding Carol walking towards us with Aly beside her. Sighing I turned to the others. "Hold on, I'll be back." with a nod from Glenn I headed towards Carol and Aly, shaking my head. "I thought I told you to stay home."

"She wanted to say goodbye." Carol looked at me. She had a lot more patience for Aly- Judith too- then she did for most people.

Crouching down I set my hands on Aly's shoulders, watching as she fiddled with the hem of Daryl's poncho. "I told you I'd be back so you don't have to come say goodbye."

She just shook her head. "You didn't come back last time."

It took me a moment to realize she meant when Daryl and I went after Carol at the church. When the group rescued Carol and I from the hospital- though we'd lost Beth- Daryl had told Aly we'd gone on a run and I'd gotten lost. It was the easiest way to explain why I'd been gone.

But since then, Aly hadn't really left my side for long periods. Even when she would go off and play with someone else, she always came and found me every hour or so. Day trips like this hadn't really come around lately.

I smiled gently at her, tilting my head to the side ever so slightly. "I know you're scared and I know you're worried. But I have to go and you have to stay here. Carol will take care of you." I looked up at Carol who nodded at me reassuringly. Looking to Aly again, I went on. "I'm going to have to do a lot of things you won't like. So will Daryl. Sometimes- like today- we're going to have to go outside the walls, like we did at the prison. But just like then, we will come back. Okay?"

"Promise?"

It wasn't something I could really promise. There was always a chance that I wouldn't come back. Whether I die or get lost or get left behind, there's always the chance that this could be the last time I saw Aly, or anyone. But telling her that would only make things harder and confusing for her. So I had no choice.

"I promise." it was a possible lie, but it was one I couldn't avoid.

She smiled widely and threw her arms around my neck in a tight hug. I hugged her back, feeling myself tear up. It's why I hadn't wanted her to come say goodbye. When Daryl was with me, he kept me intact. But on my own, saying goodbye to Aly, I always seemed to get emotional.

"Daylights burning. Let's go!" Aiden called.

"Okay, I gotta go. You be good." I kissed Aly's cheek before letting go and standing up. Turning around I moved towards the van, wiping at a tear that had escaped.

I don't really know why I was crying, it's not like this was the first time I'd had to leave Aly. I just guess it was different this time...

"You okay?" Maggie asked, moving towards me.

"I'm fine."

Resting her hand on my shoulder, she gave me a small smile. "We'll be okay. Aly will be safe."

"Come on." Glenn rested his hand on my back, nodding to the van.

With one last nod to Maggie- a silent thank you I knew she'd understand- I then followed Glenn into the back of the van, moving to sit next to Noah, Tara accross from me and Glenn next to her.

"So seriously though." Tara started, looking to Noah. "What's her story?"

Before Noah could answer, loud dance music started to play.

"Great another mix." Noah shook his head.

I could already feel my worries melt away as I smiled, sitting with my friends. "Gotta admit, it's catchy."

" _Now you're going to die._ " an animated voice spoke in the music.

Noah just shrugged, shaking his head.

"Helps draw them away." Glenn noted, smiling himself.

**RPOV**

I came across Jessie's garage, seeing her standing by a pile of metal that looked to be the sculpture I'd bumped into my first day in Alexandria.

"Hey."

She looked up at me as I walked towards her. "Hey."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. Maybe somebody doesn't like owls." she sighed, shrugging.

"Someone came in here and did this?"

"Yeah."

Crouching by the mess, I looked down at it all, seeing if there were any clues as to who could have done it.

"Stuff like this never happens here." she sighed again, hands on her hips, shaking her head.

"Well, you got any enemies?" I joked, chuckling lightly. When she smiled and shook her head, I went on. "You know anybody who hates owls?" it was her turn to chuckle as she shook her head again. "Too bad there isn't somebody who could look into this kind of thing." I stood up again, shrugging. "I'll ask around."

"No, you don't have to."

"Yeah, I know." I shrugged, having every intention to stil ask people.

"Okay, so you find the person who did this, and then what?"

"Some kind of consequences." I offered. "You ever heard about the broken window theory?" when she shook her head, I explained. "Boils down to this, you keep the windows intact, you keep society intact."

She nodded. "This was an owl, Rick."

"Yeah. Yeah." she was right, but my point still stood. "I got to do something today." I shrugged once more before leaving.

**VPOV**

"That's it there?" Tara looked up at the building next to us.

"That's the warehouse." Aiden nodded. "Looks like that door is our fast way in and out."

"We should know all the exits first, so there's a plan if things go south." Glenn suggested and he was right.

"Already got one." Nicholas grinned. "It's called going out the front."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Are you really that naive or are you just stupid?" Aiden grinned at my comment.

"Noah, heads up." Tara nodded towards a walker headin gour way.

I watched as Noah lifted his gun and shot the walker down in one swift shot. He was actually pretty good now after all his practise. It made me proud.

"Look at you with the aim." Aiden nodded, handing Noah a rifle. Turning back to the van he looked to Nicholas. "Glenn's right, we should do a perimeter check. Know our exits just in case."

"Off in groups?" Tara asked.

"Yeah. I'll go with Noah." Glenn nodded. "You should go with Eugene, keep him safe." he told Tara before turning to me. "You go with Nicholas and Aiden."

I stepped closer to Glenn, speaking low so only he could hear. "Don't you think I should go with Tara? Back her up with Eugene?"

He shook his head, speaking equally as low. "Aiden and Nicholas don't know what they're looking for. You do."

Sighing I gave a short and reluctant nod. "Fine."

"Okay." Aiden grabbed himself a gun. "Let's head out."

 

...

 

"So, the boyfriend didn't want to go on a run?" Aiden asked as he came to walk beside me, leaving Nicholas at the back.

Keeping my eyes on our surroundings, I answered. "He went with Aaron to find more people."

"You didn't go with him?"

I rolled my eyes. "Obviously."

Aiden wasn't a bad guy. There were good things about him. Like he did genuinely care about people when he knew he wasn't in danger. And he could be funny- sometimes. He was just annoying, and arrogant, and self centered, and rude, and blunt, and abrupt, and... a douche bag. Okay, he was pretty much just a douche bag. Aiden was the kind of guy that wouldn't have made it this far if he hadn't had the walls to hide behind. He would have gotten himself killed while doing something stupid instead of taking the proper precautions.

"Why?" he kept going with the questioning.

"Why what?"

"Why didn't you go with him?"

"Just because we're together, doesn't mean we have to be together all the time."

Though I had to admit, history proved that we shouldn't be separated. Both of us had been in danger plenty of times when we were on our own. You'd think we would have learnt by now, but things weren't that easy. Daryl couldn't take me with him whenever he left, and I couldn't make him stay or go with me either. It just didn't work like that.

"So what's the story between you two? Been together long?"

"Yeah. Since the beginning pretty much. A few months after everything fell apart."

"Really? That long? I thought it was only a year, maybe a little less. He doesn't really seem like the kind of guy that sticks around for long."

I sighed, stopping in my tracks and turning to Aiden. "Just say what you want to say and then shut up."

"Fine." he shrugged before opening his mouth and saying things he honestly shouldn't. "I may have only met you a few times- and the first time was a few years back- but I think I know you well enough to see that he just isn't the right kind of guy for you. He's older and he's rude and he's obviously got control issues. You saw him the other day when he attacked Nicholas-"

I cut him off then, raising a hand to shut him up. "Daryl is not rude, if anyone is, you are. He may be older, but I don't think that really matters. And he does not have control issues, or any other issues. He just doesn't like people hurting his family." he opened his mouth to speak again, but I stopped him. "Now, I'm fighting back the urge to knock you on your ass, so I suggest you shut up and listen. I love Daryl. He loves me. You don't stand a chance. Never have. And my relationship is honestly none of your business. So don't mention it again and stop trying to flirt with me. Your moves didn't work all those years ago, they won't work now."

Nicholas had walked past us and continued looking around. But now he turned to us, eyes wide. "Ah... guys. I think you should come have a look at this."

Dropping the subject Aiden and I moved towards Nicholas, following to where his finger pointed. It wasn't good. Walkers surrounded the enterance of the building. Not a lot but still too many for us to handle safely with Eugene and two trigger happy amateurs.

I sighed, shaking my head as I turned around to head back to the others. "There goes the front door plan..."

 

...

 

Glenn opened the door to the warehouse before slamming his fist against it, the loud noise sure to lure any walkers inside towards us. It may sound stupid, but it was actually good. It saved us going in blind and into possible danger. This way if there were any walkers, they come to us and we can either kill them, or close the door fast.

"Give it another second." Glenn raised his hand, gesturing for us to stay back. "It's a big place. There could be some inside."

"So, let's say they are." Aiden started, causing Glenn to turn to him. "Let's move. Let's be safe."

Turning back to the dark building, Glenn nodded. "All right." he pulled out his gun before we all slowly and carefully moved inside.

I walked in last, closing the door behind us to keep any walkers that might be outside from getting in. With the door now closed, I caught up to the group, all of us staying together as we moved through the building.

Moving carefully we all followed Glenn. After a little while he stopped, shush us as he tried to listen. It only took a moment for my brain to register what my ears were hearing. Walkers.

"They're stuck behind something." Glenn noted.

"How do you know?" Aiden asked, sounding doubtful.

"I don't." Glenn answered truthfully. "But they aren't here. All right." he turned to the rest of us. "Hey, let's go. Eyes up."

Coming around a corner we were walking past a gate, moving on, when a walker threw itself at the chain link wall. More came to join it as they pressed themselves against the gate, wanting to get to us.

I moved forward, nodding to Glenn as we checked to make sure the gate was intact and secure.

When I was sure it was okay, I turned to the others. "Clear."

Glenn agreed. "Clear."

"You know you're stuff." Aiden looked at the walkers with wide, scared, unsure eyes.

"We were out there a long time." Tara noted.

"There could be more." Glenn got back to buisness.

I nodded. "Okay, back into our groups. We all check an isle each and then we'll meet up at the door when we're done. Everyone, keep your eyes open, and your guns raised. Okay?" when they all agreed I nodded again. "Okay, let's go."

 

...

 

Aiden, Nicholas and I moved along an isle, looking at the boxes in hopes of finding what we came here for. We didn't talk, I was actually pretty sure I'd upset Aiden, but now wasn't the time to care about that, we had a job to do.

I stopped in my tracks at the sound of snarling and groaning getting closer. Turning, with my gun raised, I caught sight of a walker dressed in armour, heading towards us. "Shit."

Aiden must of heard me, or the walker, because he turned to look at it as well. Though unlike me, he wasn't aware that shooting it would do nothing seeing as it was wearing armour. So he began to shoot it.

"It's got armour." Glenn spoke before I had the chance. "Let it come closer."

Pulling up my knife I started forward. "Aiden I'll deal with it."

"No. I got it." he shot at the walker's leg, getting it to the ground.

"Aiden, stop!" Glenn yelled, panic in his voice. "Stop!"

My eyes set on the walker. That's when I caught sight of what had Glenn so worried. But it was too late, because at that exact moment Aiden shot again, hitting the walker's grenades...

**Chapter 23**

**Don't be a Hero**

**VPOV**

Groaning I opened my eyes, completely aware that the explosion from the grenade had thrown me against some shelves, the act leaving me in pain, probably more than I realized. But I couldn't afford to waste time. I had to know the others were okay.

"Victoria." Nicholas moved towards me, only having a few scratches- though bruises would show up later I was sure. "You okay?"

"Where are the others?" I asked, wincing in pain.

Lifting his torch, he looked around until I felt him tense. "Oh, God!"

Following where his light shone, I was taken aback. Aiden had been thrown into some shelves as well, but unlike me, he hadn't been so lucky. The metal shelves had broken from the explosion and pierced him like stakes, through his torso in three spots.

"Oh, he's dead." Nicholas noted, in shock.

"Noah? Tara? Vickie? Eugene?" Glenn called.

"I'm with Nicholas." I yelled back.

"Cage is open. They're getting out." Glenn noted.

"Shit." I shook my head. "We gotta get out of here!"

"Here. Over here." Eugene voice called, sounding faint and distant.

"I'll help you." Nicholas stepped forward, offering his hand.

I grabbed it, and waited a single moment before moving to stand. But when he'd started to pull and I'd began to move, I hadn't prepared myself for the amount of agonizing pain that coursed through my body. I cried out, falling the small distance I'd managed to get up as my body screamed at me, everything hurting like hell.

"Vickie!" Nicholas got to his knees, trying to help me back up.

I shook my head, eyes squeezed shut tightly. "There's something wrong." carefully and slowly I lifted my shirt, feeling a lot of the pain coming from my side.

"Oh, God." Nicholas gasped.

Opening my eyes- even though I was pretty sure that was the last thing I'd want to do- I looked down at my side. There, sticking into my hip, was a piece of metal. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed on to it and in one swift move pulled it out. I let out a blood curdling scream, throwing the piece of metal away. Even though it hadn't been in very deep it had still hurt like hell and blood began to seep out. But luckily nothing major had been hurt- at least I hoped.

"Vickie!" Glenn yelled out, having heard me scream. "Vickie?!"

"She's hurt." Nicholas called back as he began to panic. "She's bleeding!"

There was the sound of a struggle before a pop was heard- a silenced gun shot being made. Then I heard Glenn's voice again.

"Get her to the office!" he called back. "Go!"

With an order given, Nicholas managed to help me to my feet and moved us towards the office as the others made their way to join us as well.

 

...

 

"How's she doing?" Glenn asked Eugene as he looked down at Tara's unconscious body.

"She has serious head trauma." Eugene answered. "She's losing blood fast."

Noah stepped up to them. "How do we stop it?"

"Med kit was in Aiden's pack. It got blown to hell." Nicholas was panicing, it was easy to tell. Situations like this, it could make or break a person. And he was breaking.

"There's another one in the van."

"She's on her way out." Eugene sounded desperate and also panicked. "We need to het her there."

"All right, we'll get her there." Glenn nodded, turning to me. "How bad are you hurt?"

I shook my head. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't have a choice." we hadn't really had time to check me over. With Tara bleeding, walkers surrounding us, and time running out, we had to move fast.

"Help! Somebody!"

We all froze, tuning to look at the window.

"Oh, Jesus!" Nicholas shook his head.

"He's alive?" Glenn asked, my eyes going wide. I couldn't see out there, but I was sure they were talkign about Aiden, he was the only one out there.

"I checked him. I thought..." Nicholas lied, becasue I knew he'd only seen Aiden, not checked him.

"We've gotta help him." I got to my feet, wincing in pain.

Glenn moved towards me, standing in my way. "It's gonna take at least three of us. And you can hardly stand."

I shook my head. "There's no way I'm leaving him behind. I can't do that to his family. And I'm not letting you do it yourself. Maggie would never forgive me if I let something happen to you."

"We pull Aiden off there, we could kill him." Nicholas argued.

"So what, you wanna leave him there to get ripped apart by those monsters? What about his mother!?" I snapped.

"Go, save him." Eugene looked away from Tara and to the rest of us. "She'd do it." he was talking about Tara. "I know she would. I'll stay with her. I'll keep her safe, I assure you. I will."

"Let's do it." Noah nodded.

"All right, we'll knock 'em back." Glenn gestured to himself and Noah. "You still have that flare?"

Nicholas nodded. "Yeah."

"You fire the flare over the shelves. Vickie you move to Aiden and wait for us. You're too hurt to fight them." Glenn told us as he moved towards the door. "All right. We're going to hit the rest hand-to-hand." he explained to Noah. "Everyone ready?"

"Yeah?" Nicholas lifted the flare gun.

I prepared myself as best as I could. "Ready."

"One, two, three." Glenn threw himself agaisnt the door, opening it and pushing the walkers agaisnt it away.

I didn't wait, didn't hesitate. The moment the door was open I moved as fast as I could, knife in my hand just incase as I rushed towards Aiden.

**RPOV**

A knock at the front door had me moving to open it seeing as everyone else was busy. Carol was doing the laundry, while Aly was upstairs playing with Houdini and her toys.

"Hey, Rick! I was having a beer. Thought I'd bring you one for helping my wife today." he walked past me and into my house, a smile on his face that I was sure he was faking.

"Um, I'm good, but thanks." I didn't particularly like the guy but I knew I had to be polite.

"Come on. Don't tell me you're still on duty."

"Kind of always am, you know?"

He chuckled, moving further inside. "Not at Deanna's party." he leaned against the wall, going on. "I saw you." he cleared his throat.

Without fully realizing it, I was ready for anything, because the way he was talking, and looking at me gave me the impression he wasn't talking about me drinking. I was pretty sure he was actually here to talk about the fact I'd been getting to know and befriending Jessie...

"You had some, right?" he grinned.

"You know, I wish I could have helped out more today. I asked around, but nobody saw or heard anything." I nodded, looking

"Well, it was just an owl." he noted, not seeming to care. "Grande scheme of things, I think we'll live."

I gave a false smile, not liking the guy, nodding. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry." he started. "Heard you lost your wife."

I gave a short nod. "Yeah."

He shook his head. "You know, I'm sure it looks like we haven't lost much, but we have. We've lost things. Other things we're just fighting like hell to hold on to. Everything you people have been through, I don't know if you see that."

I gave another short nod. "We do."

He took a drink from his beer, before speaking again. "Bring your kids in for a check-up. Vickie came in because of her wrist, and I know I offered you one, but they really should come in. Your grandaughter too. They were all out there awhile, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Pete." I really had nothing else to say, and I honestly didn't think I would be taking my kids, or Aly, to see him.

He stepped closer to me. "Let's be friends, man." he smiled. "We kind of have to be, right?"

"Yeah, we do."

"So, we will." he offered his hand, which I shook. Letting go he patter my shoulder, moving to the door again. "I'll see you, Rick."

As soon as he was gone, I closed the door, my eyes catching sight of my wedding ring. Frowning I rolled it around my finger as I thought about Lori, and about our kids. I wondered how things would be if she was still here...

**VPOV**

We reached Aiden, Glenn, Noah and Nicholas moving to help him as I stayed back to keep watch, my gun raised and ready. Though my arms shook and sweat dripped down my face from my forehead as pain filled me. I was beginning to wonder how badly I'd been hurt. Looking over at Aiden I could see parts of the metal shelving he was leaned up against sticking through a few parts of his body. Blood everywhere. It was horrible, but it also helped me ignore my own pain.

"Hey, it's going to be okay. We're going to get you out." Glenn told Aiden. "Alright. Everything is going to be okay. I need you to stay quiet, okay? Can you do that?"

"Yeah." Aiden answered, out of breath.

"Okay." I looked over my shoulder, seeing Nicholas and Glenn grab either side of Aiden. Glenn nodded to Nicholas. "One, two, three." they tried to pull him off.

I could hear Aiden groan, trying to repress a scream as they pulled. But of course he couldn't keep them held in for long. Suddenly he screamed, a blood curdling, cringe worthy scream.

Looking towards where the walkers were my eyes went wide. "Shit." I turned to the others again, trying not to panic. "The flare's burning out, guys. Come on."

Noah came to stand with me then, his own gun raised, along with a torch.

"We're not gonna make it." Nicholas began to chicken out.

"Hey!" Glenn grabbed his attention. "Yes, we are. But I need your help. You can do this."

Aiden held on to Nicholas' shoulder. "Nick, don't leave me."

"Okay."

Glenn nodded. "Okay." they pulled again.

The sound of walkers started getting closer...

I looked to Noah. "If they don't get him off soon, we're going to be in big trouble."

He nodded. "I know."

Aiden's screams started again as the guys tried to pull him off again. Noah and I had no choice but to start shooting as walkers began to appear.

"Glenn!" I called, worry smothering my voice. Backing up I moved closer to them. "We gotta do this now!"

"I know!" he told me before they tried one more time to get Aiden off the shelving, but once again, they failed.

Pausing, out of breath, Nicholas leaned in closer to Aiden, whispering something to him none of us heard, before he let go, and stepped back. "I'm sorry." he shook his head. "I'm sorry."

I grabbed him before he could get far. "Don't do this."

But he pushed me back, causing me to fall to the ground, pain shooting through my body. "I'm sorry." he repeated before running off.

"Vickie!" Glenn moved to help me back to my feet. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." I lied as I got to my feet. Pain was throbbing through my body, a horrible sting centering around my wound. Groaning, I gestured to Aiden. "Let's just do this."

Nodding we both turned to Aiden, grabbing a hold of him, ready to pull.

Aiden stopped us before we had the chance to tug. He stuttered at first, until the words finally came out. "Okay, it was us. The others before, they didn't panic. We did. It was us." he looked to me then. "You were right. I'm a coward. I'm sorry."

My eyes went wide as I shook my head. "Don't be a hero now. We can still do this."

But he wouldn't have it, as he pushed our hands away. "No. Go. Go!"

"They're here!" Noah yelled before I felt an arm wrap around my waist and turn me, Glenn keeping me up as we rushed off, leaving Aiden behind. The sound of his screams filled my ears as we made a break for it.

 

...

 

Running as fast as we could, I couldn't help but notice as we followed Nicholas we neared the front exit of the building.

"Nicholas, stop!" Glenn called out as he continued to help me stay on my feet and move as fast as I could, the walkers not far behind us. "Hey! You'll never make it."

We reached the front entrance of the building as more walkers began to appear around us. Having no choice, we walked into one of the four sections of the revolving door, just as Nicholas entered the opposite section to ours. Glenn set me on the ground as Noah held the door in place on our side, and Nicholas held the door in place on his. Before anyone could exit, walkers filled both the way in and out of the building, blocking our path.

It took a moment for my mind to realize the problem. We were stuck...

Glenn got to his knees, looking to me. "Are you okay?" he asked, seeing me resting my head on the glass, groaning in pain, feeling weak. He moved my shirt, causing me to groan more and flinch as he checked out my wound. His eyes went wide, seeing it for the first time. "You didn't say it was that bad."

I shook my head. "We had Tara to worry about." I told him, closing my eyes.

"Hey." he tapped my cheek lightly, which was enough to get me to open my eyes again. "Don't go to sleep. You hear me? You gotta stay awake."

"She looks bad." Noah noted from where he stood, holding the door in place.

Glenn stood. "She'll be fine once we get out of here." he said before he started looking around, trying to figure out how we were going to get out.

"Hey, maybe we can shoot our way past them." Nicholas suggested from the other side. "You guys still have guns."

"And you have the ammo!" Glenn yelled back at him.

"We've got to do something, man. We're gonna die in here." Nicholas noted, stating the obvious.

"Yeah, and who's fault is that!?" I snapped, looking over my shoulder as best as I could, turning to Nicholas. "Asshole!"

"There has to be another way." Noah started looking around as well. "There has to be a way."

The sound of a vehicle honking had everyone look out towards the front of the building outside as loud music started playing.

"Hey! Over here. Come get me. Come get me. Come on. Come on. Come and get me."

I smiled lightly. "Eugene."

Slowly the walkers from the front of the building started to move off and follow the van as Eugene drove off.

"Come on, Eugene." Glenn nodded. "Yeah."

Then there were no more walkers on one side of us, clearing an exit... only problem was, we still had walkers behind us and only one section of the door could leave. Which meant either Nicholas was going to die. Or the three of us were going to die. Either way, walkers were getting someone.

Glenn stopped, looking around, mind working overtime. Then his face changed and I knew he had an idea. "All right. Hey, I need you both-" he stopped, banging on the window to get Nicholas' attention. "Hey, Nicholas! I need you both to keep the door steady, all right?" he told Noah and Nicholas- seeing as I was good for nothing right now. "I'm gonna break the glass. We get out, you push out." he told Nicholas. "We get the rifle and we're good. All right? Ready?"

Using the butt of his rifle he started to hit the glass of the door. But no matter how hard and how many times he hit, it didn't break... not even slightly. Instead it started to move the door...

"No! No, stop, it's not safe!" Nicholas called from the other side.

"This is the only way." Glenn told him.

But Nicholas wasn't having it. "No, it's not gonna break."

"It will." Noah told him. "Okay? We can hold it. We can."

"Trust me, okay? Count of three." Glenn lifted his gun again. "One, two-"

Suddenly the door started opening. But not in a good direction for the three of us. I couldn't see into Nicholas' section but I knew he was pushing his way out, and putting us in danger.

"Hey! Nicholas!" Noah yelled.

"Nicholas, don't!" Glenn called.

"No!" I pulled my legs up, keeping them out of reach as walkers started reaching in. "Glenn!"

"Damn it, Nicholas. No!" Glenn yelled again.

He and Noah tried to the close the door again, but Nicholas caught them off guard, trying to make a small enough gap to get out. Still trying to keep the door closed Glenn grabbed a hold of Noah, keeping him out of the walker's grasp. I looked behind me, seeing Nicholas hanging out of his door slightly, pushing it with all his might until he was out completely.

"No!" I screamed.

But it was too late. With a wide enough gap one of the walkers managed to grab a hold of Noah's leg and pulled him to the ground before it started to drag him out. Glenn and I grabbed a hold of Noah's hands, trying to keep him in.

"Don't let go!" Noah looked at us with pleading eyes.

More walkers grabbed his leg and began to pull, their combined strength ripping Noah out of our grasp before they pulled him out and into the crowd.

"No! Noah! No!" Glenn scuried to the door just as it closed again.

I cried, shaking my head. "No, no, no."

Suddenly Noah was thrown against the glass, the walkers pressing him against it as they began to tear and rip into his skin. Noah screamed as he was literally eaten alive right in front of us. Soon enough I couldn't differ his screams from my own as Glenn and I sat there in horror watching our friend die.

 

...

 

Glenn had his arm around me as we rushed as fast as we could around the building, trying to find Nicholas, or the van, or both. When we rounded the corner we caught sight of him and Eugene standing outside of the van fighting, before Nicholas pushed Eugene to the floor and hurried to get into the van.

Glenn set me down before running off.

I watched as he grabbed Nicholas and pulled him from the van throwing him to the ground and punched him in the face. As he hit him a second time I managed to get myself to my feet, using the side of the building to move towards them the few feet that were left. Reaching Eugene I took his gun from him and, with shaking hands, aimed it at Nicholas' head.

Nicholas was knocked out from Glenn's punches, but it wasn't enough.

"Move, Glenn." I cried, voice and body shaking. "I'm gonna kill this asshole!"

With wide eyes at seeing me like this Glenn quickly got to his feet, moving to stand in front of me. He carefully and gently pushed the gun down and took it from my grasp as he wrapped his other arm around me. Resting his hand on my head as my cheek pressed against his shoulder, he stood there, my sobs coming out louder and harder.

I felt him look over to Eugene. "We need to get him in the back." he nodded to the van before turning back to me, still holding me in a hug as I continued to cry.

"Where's Noah?" Eugene's question made my sobs come out even louder.

Glenn shook his head. "Just get him in the back."

**RPOV**

Carol walked into the house, closing the door behind her as she turned to me, where I stood in the living room. "Pete's hitting Jesse. Maybe Sam too."

Something clicked inside me as I felt the part of myself I feared awaken. Hearing that someone would- or  _could -_  hurt their own wife and son was enough to spring me into action. But knowing the people getting hurt were as nice and innocent as Jesse and Sam had me ready do to whatever might be needed.

I walked up to her. "You know this how? Sam tell you?"

She shook her head. "He didn't have to." when I walked away, towards the window, she went on. "Rick, I know how this is gonna go with Pete. There's only one way it can go." I turned to her again. "You're gonna have to kill him."

**  
**

**Chapter 24**

**Their World**

**DPOV**

It was dark, the day had been long and unsuccessful. Aaron and I were moving through a field now, still looking for any survivors, as I walker appeared in front of us. I shot it down with my crossbow easily, moving to pull the bolt out of it's head.

"There's more of them around than there used to be." Aaron noted. "Don't know if any people are-"

"Shh." I lifted a finger to my lips before pointing out towards where I could see a light from a fire. "Someone is."

**RPOV**

"I saw the grenades." Glenn told me as we sat outside the doctor's building where Tara and Vickie were getting patched up- Tara still hadn't woken up though. "Tried to stop him. He was gonna run." he said, talking about Nicolas. "But we made him stay. Couldn't get Aiden out of there without help." he shook his head. "All he had to do was hold the door." his voice shook as his eyes began to water. "But he panicked.

"Noah... Vickie and I had him. We had his hands. We tried. But she was weak and I lost my grip. The walkers were too strong." his voice cracked. "We watched him die." he sighed. "I almost left him out there. Could have told a story. But when I saw Vickie, holding the gun. Aiming it at his head." he looked away. "I couldn't let her do it. I couldn't let what he did, turn her into something she's not. And we couldn't leave him."

I gave him a look as he spoke the last part, not sure I would have done the same thing.

He seemed to notice my look, speaking again. "What, you think I should have?"

"They don't know what they're doing, any of them." I told him.

"We'll show them." he said simply.

"I don't know it they can see it. How things really are. I don't know if they can yet. They haven't caught up."

"We have to be here." he insisted. "We have to."

I nodded. "Yeah, we do. But their rules, we don't answer to them."

"We are them, Rick. We are now." he shook his head. "Noah, he believed in this place. I'm telling you, we gotta make this work."

The front door behind Glenn opened as Vickie limped out, Pete helping her walk. I stood, moving over to help my daughter, not wanting that man touching her. The only reason she was here in the first place was because of how bad she'd been when they got back.

Pete sighed. "I told her she should stay here for the night, I'll be staying here to keep an eye on Tara anyway, so she'd be taken care of."

Vickie shook her head. "I wanna go home."

Nodding I gestured for him to hand her over. "Thank you for patching her up, Pete."

He shrugged. "It's what I'm here for." he looked to Vickie. "You remember what I told you to do? Take two pills every four to six hours. I'll get Rosita to check on you tomorrow. If something goes wrong just get someone to help bring you here."

"Okay. Thank you." she told him before turning to me. "Can we go home now?"

"Yeah." I answered as I started to walk us towards the street and for our house.

 

...

 

After setting Vickie in her room, on her bed, making sure she was comfortable and okay, I headed back downstairs and outside on to the porch. I found Carol looking out towards Jessie's house where Jessie and her sons sitting on the porch.

"How's Vickie?" Carol asked, turning to look at me as I joined her.

I shrugged. "She's in pretty bad shape. But she should be fine."

Nodding she turned back to look at Jessie's house again. "I sent a casserole to Deanna's family. We want her to see that." she paused before speaking again. "You thought about Pete? About what I said?"

"Yeah." I answered simply.

"Talked to Sam some more. He said his mum put a bolt on the inside of his closet. Tells him to lock himself in sometimes and not come out till morning. He said he can hear his dad yelling, things breaking, his mum crying. Last month, it got quiet in the middle of it, and he went out and found her on the floor." she turned to me. "Unconscious. Bleeding." she looked away again. "Pete was just sitting on the porch."

"Why do you care what happens to Jessie?"

She looked to me again. "You know why. And I know why you do."

"Why?"

"I've seen you talk to her." she sighed. "If walkers hadn't gotten Ed, I wouldn't be standing here right now."

I gave a short nod before saying, "Yeah, you would." I walked off then, leaving her to it.

**VPOV**

They say the morning after is always worse... well they're right.

I sat on my bed, leaning against the bedhead, the buttons of my long sleeve, cream shirt opened, revealing the bandages wrapped around my torso. Bruises and cuts scattered over my body and old scars. Wrist still bandaged as well. I pulled the blanket down a little to take in the few scars I had on my thighs- which were bare because other than my shirt and bra, I only had underwear on.

A knock on my door had my quickly pulling my blankets up and fix my shirt to cover me. "Yeah?"

The door slowly opened, Aly poking her head in before Carl did the same. I could see he was holding Judith in his arms.

I smiled at them. "You wanna come in?"

Not having to be asked twice, Aly pushed the door open all the way before rushing in and climbing on to the bed, Houdini right behind her. Carl followed, moving to sit on the end on my bed opposite me, resting Judith on his lap.

"Aly wanted to come see you." he told me.

I gave him a knowing look. "And you just wanted to tag along?" I asked sarcastically, knowing he was actually really worried about me.

Aly crawled up closer to me. "Tara didn't come home last night... I asked Maggie why, and she said you and Tara got hurt when you were out."

I nodded. "Yeah, we did."

Hesitating she thought about what to say before speaking. "Can I see?"

Nodding again, I moved my shirt to show them the bandages.

Aly's eyes went wide. "Oh, no." she leaned in closer to look at it better. "Does it hurt?"

"Only a little." I lied.

She looked up at me. "Did you almost die?"

"No." I lied again.

Honestly, I did almost die. Pete told me if we hadn't of gotten back when we did, if we'd been out there longer, the chances of saving me were slim. The metal hadn't cut deep, missing any organs or arteries, but it still cut a lot of veins. That, plus the head injury I'd gotten- that was on the same spot as when Carol, Daryl and I had been in that van that'd fallen- could have killed me.

"Aly, why don't you go get Vickie something to eat? I bet that'll make her feel better." Carl asked.

A smile formed on Aly's lips before she darted off my bed. "Be right back, mummy." she called as she rushed out of the room.

Houdini didn't follow her though, he stayed on the bed, laying right next to me, his head on my knee as I pet him.

Carl looked me right in the eyes then. "How bad is it really?"

"I nearly died." I answered honestly.

He nodded, looking away. "Thought so."

"Hey, don't worry about me." I told him. "They do blood drives here so the doctor had some blood he could give me, which helped a lot. And it's all stitched up. I'm on some pain killers. I'll be fine." I reassured him.

He just shook his head. "Dad and I can't lose you. We've lost you too many times before."

"Carl, I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here."

"No, see, you don't get it. When everything fell apart, I lost you. When you ran after Sophia, I lost you. When we left the farm, I lost you. When the walkers took over the prison and you fought them to save us, I lost you. When you were taken by Merle, I lost you. When you got sick, I lost you. When the Governor came back and we all ran, I lost you. When you, Daryl and Carol ran off to get Beth, I lost you. And last night, I lost you again. Every time you've gone missing or gotten badly hurt..." He shook his head. "It feels like I'm closer to losing you every time. One day, it'll be so bad you won't come back. But you keep going out there and you keep ending up in dangerous situations. You never back down or give up. I just..." he sighed. "I hate it."

"So what do you want me to do Carl? I can't just sit here and let everyone else do all the dirty work. That's just not me. Not anymore. Like you said, I don't back down or give up. Because I can't. Not anymore."

He nodded. "I know. That's why I'm so scared."

I shook my head. "Carl, you don't have to be scared. If anything, seeing as I've come back from all of that, you should be the opposite of scared. Nothing can bring me down. Not as long as I've got a family to come back to. Okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

"Good. Now go check on Aly and make sure she's not making a mess. Carol cleaned that kitchen yesterday." I told him, smiling.

Smiling back at me he got up and headed out, with Judith still in his arms, leaving me with Houdini.

**RPOV**

I walked up to Deanna as she stood by the few graves that were in Alexandria- which just seemed to added to my point that these people were not ready for what lies behind their gates.

"I'm sorry for what happened." I told her before coming to a stop a few steps away. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm not." she answered simply.

"We have a problem with Pete." I told her.

She sighed. "I hoped it'd get better."

I took a step closer, shocked and outraged. "You knew?" she just gave a short nod. "It hasn't gotten better. It won't."

"Pete's a surgeon." she argued. "He saves lives. He saved Victoria's life last night, and he might save Tara's."

"He's beating his wife. We have to stop it."

"How?"

"We separate them. We tell him that's how it will be from now on." I answered.

"What happens when he doesn't want to do that?" she walked up to me.

"It's not his choice." I explained.

She nodded, seeming to agree with what I'm saying, but she knew the chances of this actually working were slim... "So what happens?" she asked again.

"I kill him.  _We_  kill him."

"We don't kill people. This is civilization, Rick."

"Warning someone to stop or die, that is civilized nowadays." it was, I'd witnessed a lot worse things than killing someone because they were putting other's in danger. But she just scoffed, and so I went on. "So what? So we just let him hit her? We let him  _kill_  her?" I shrugged.

"No." she answered instantly. "We exile him, if it comes to that."

I shook my head. "We do that, we don't know when he comes back, and what he does to them. Letting him go makes this place vulnerable. You really want to wait till someone in that tower has to take care of it? And that's if we're lucky!"

"We are not-" she stopped herself, calming her voice before she finished. "We are not executing anyone. Don't ever suggest it again. That sort of thinking doesn't belong in here."

"People die now, Deanna. They do. There's times like this you can decided who and when. Or it can be decided for you."

"It already was." she said plainly. "I wouldn't kill you. I'd just send you away." she told me simply before walking off.

**CPOV**

I'd caught Enid sneaking over the wall again, so I'd followed her... again. But, I lost her... again. Now I was walking around aimlessly, trying to find her in the woods.

"Carl."

I stopped, looking around, unable to see her even though she'd sounded close.

"I know you're following me. Again. And you're going the wrong way."

"You knew?"

"You're very loud." she said just as I stepped on a twig, snapping it. "Can you go back? TO be honest, you scare me."

I just shook my head. "You shouldn't sneak out by yourself. Two people just died."

She walked out from behind a tree. "Come on. People always die. You know that."

Ignoring what she said, I shifted on the spot. "We should go back."

"Why?" she asked, a bored look on her face.

I looked around us then, confused. "What do you do out here anyway?"

She shrugged. "Same thing as you." she said before running off.

Grinning I ran after her.

Still running, Enid suddenly grabbed my arm, pulling me to a stop as we neared a small clearing where a walker stood. Stepping forward, she pulled a kitchen timer out of her bag, turning the knob before throwing the timer away from where we stood. It buzzed, catching the walker's attention. With the walker distracted, we ran again.

Once we were clear from the walker we stopped, taking a seat on the ground, leaning against a fallen log, slightly out of breathe.

"We're supposed to be out here." she was the first to break the silence. "We're supposed to feel like this. I don't want to forget. And running makes me feel better." she smiled.

"I can't forget. I dream about it." I told her. "Being in the forest with them."

"I do, too."

I watched her carefully, looking at the way her brown hair framed her face and fell long. The way her lips pressed perfectly together, a peachy orange colour. The way her lashes fluttered up and down as she blinked her hazel eyes.

I nodded. "Ron's a good guy." he was more than that. He was lucky...

She smiled. "He is."

"Does he know you come out here?"

"No." she shook her head. "I- he wouldn't understand." she sighed before turning to he bag.

A grin formed on my lips as I remembered something she said. "Why do I scare you?"

She pulled out a knife from her bag, shrugging. "I don't know. You just do." she answered, digging her knife into the log next to her.

"Cool knife."

She stopped what she was doing, looking at it. "It was my mum's."

"What happened to you before you got there?"

"Does it matter?" she asked, turning to me, eyes sad.

"It does." I nodded. "I know. Something bad has happened to me, too."

We sat there for a moment, just looking at each other until the sound of walkers caught our attention.

Getting up she grabbed her bag as I stood as well. "We need to go. Sounds like a lot." I told her.

She rushed forward, towards a tree, where the trunk was hollowed out enough for us to squeeze in the gap one at a time and fit inside together. Our chests pressed against each other once we were in, our eyes locking again.

I looked away quickly, out of the tree.

She leaned closer to my ear. "It's their world." she whispered. "We're just living in it."

A herd of walkers went by then, passing the tree without even noticing us.

I turned to Enid, seeing her looking out at them. I'd never seen anyone as beautiful as her...

She turned to look at me after a moment, and before I knew it, I felt my hand moving forward to brush her's, my heart racing fast, my breathing coming out quick.

Exhaling and looking away before I did anything stupid, I kept reminding myself she was with Ron.

"Cool." she whispered, moving closer to my ear again. "You're afraid of me, too."

I grinned slightly as she stepped back, not denying or confirming what she said. Instead I just continued to look out at the walkers, waiting for all of them to finish passing us by, and disappear.

**DPOV**

Aaron and I were still following the tracks of the person we'd seen last night. We'd been tracking them for awhile- all day- trying to figure out if they were good or not. The last thing we needed was bringing someone bad in and messing everything up.

Suddenly, as we came around some trees, we stood in a small opening, where parts of a chopped up walker were laid out on the ground.

I nodded to the remains. "Whoever did this took what was left with them. This just happened."

We continued on, stay cautious, making sure there was no danger around. It was normal for people just to be cutting up walkers and taking parts with them...

Further up the track we found another walker, only this time it was obviously a woman, and it looked as if she'd been tied to a tree while she was alive- seeing as she was still there. Her stomach and gut had been ripped into and were hanging out, it was sick.

We moved towards it slowly.

"She's tied up." Aaron noted. "They fed on her. Tore her apart." he turned to me. "This just happened?"

I hated the sight of her there, tied to a tree. Her blonde hair made me think of Aly, and Beth, and Andrea...

I gave a short nod. "Yeah."

"How the hell did this happen?"

I reached forward, lifting her head, where we found a 'W' carved into her forehead. She began to wake then. But I stabbed her in the head before she became a hassle. Once that was done, we moved on.

**VPOV**

My bedroom door opened again as Maggie poked her head in. "Can I come in?"

I smiled up at her, nodding. "Of course."

She walked in, closing the door behind her before moving to join me on the bed. Carl had left some time ago and hadn't come back. Aly had brought me a sandwich, but after awhile she and Houdini left to play, so I was alone. But having Maggie- my best friend- come to join me was nice. I was sitting on my bed still dressed in just the button up shirt- though the buttons were all done now. Sharpening my knife, I was relaxed and calm, trying not to think about the fact that I was bedridden.

"I remember when you used to brush your hair to calm down, now you sharpen your knife. It's funny how things change." she noted.

"I still brush my hair to calm myself but it's a bit hard to do when I can't lift my arms to my head without my whole body screaming in pain."

She nodded, her eyes falling. "I heard about what happened. Glenn told me... everything."

I looked out the window as the image of all the blood filled my mind. Tara, myself, Aiden, Noah. There was so much blood. It was horrible. Sure, I'd seen some pretty messed up things- I'd done a lot of bad stuff as well- but seeing Noah, seeing a  _friend_ , get rip open like that. Nothing had ever been as bad as that.

"You know, before you went with the others, Deanna and I were talking." Maggie started, causing me to turn to her again. "She see's what you do and how you are. She see's more than you think. She knows you care and that you know what your doing- both out there and in here... She wants you to join the two of us. She wants to show you how to lead as well."

I frowned, shaking my head. "Why me? I'm not a leader."

She just gave me a small smile. "You are, you just don't know it." getting up she grabbed the crutches from behind my door. "Come on." she nodded for me to get up. "We're getting you out of here."

I grinned. "Where are we going?"

"I grabbed a wheelchair from the infirmary. You need to get out of this bedroom and I want to spend some time with my best friend. So let's go."

**RPOV**

"Jessie." I found Jessie in her garage, smoking a cigarette.

She looked up, turning around to put her smoke out. "Hey." she sighed turning back to me. "I don't want Ron and Sam to know about this." she gestured to the smoke.

"Well, your secret's safe." I told her.

She shook her head. "Noah was a sweet kid. But Tara, she's in good hands with Pete. And Vickie too. He'll take care of them."

"He's hitting you." I said without hesitation, or much thought. "He's hurting you. It has to stop."

It took her a moment but she finally spoke. "It will."

"How?"

"There are things in his life that happened."

"I don't care." I shrugged.

"Look, it was like this before and he got help. I helped him, and things were good. I can fix it." she insisted.

But I wasn't having any of it. "No, you can't. But I can."

She shook her head again. "No, what can you do? What are you gonna do, put him in jail?" when I said nothing she added, "You're only going to make things worse."

"If it's gotten worse, it means he's killed you." I told her, not holding back, because she had to know the truth. "That's what's next. And I'm not going to let that happen."

She looked me in the eyes, searching them, before speaking again. "Why do you care?"

I thought about the words. I thought about the fact I felt things for her I hadn't felt for anyone in a long time. I thought about the fact her smile seemed to brighten up my mood no matter how bad things were and the moment. I thought about how friendly and welcoming she was, even though we were all strangers. I thought about how great of a mum, and wife, and friend, and person she was. I thought about the fact I had strong feelings for her.

But I couldn't say the words.

She just went on. "Why is this so important to you? Now, you've made it. You have a home for you kids. Rick, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to help."

"I don't know that." she shook her head once more, looking at me with desperate eyes. "I'm married. Okay, I can take care of myself." she turned away form me, heading for the back door of the house. "We have to take care of ourselves." she told me before pressing the button to close the garage as she walked into her house.

 

...

 

After leaving Jessie alone I walked back on to the street and I saw all the people around town doing whatever they wanted as if things were like they used to be. It was at that moment, I knew I couldn't leave her like this. So I went straight up to her front door, and walked in to her house... and found her in her living room crying.

"What are you doing?" she sobbed.

I took a breath before answering. "You know, Sam asked for a gun to protect you."

Just by the look of her face I could tell her heart broke at that piece of information. "You shouldn't be here."

"Jessie, in here, you can't see it, but it's the same. It's the same as out there." I tired to explain. "We have food and roofs over our heads, but you don't get to just live. You don't get to put it off or wish it away, Jessie. If you don't fight, you die." I began to slowly move closer to her. "And, I don't want you to die. I can help you. I can keep you and your boys safe. I can. All you have to do is say yes." I stopped then. Stopped talking, stopped moving. I just waited.

"Would you do this for someone else?" when I didn't answer she repeated the question. "Would you do this for anyone?"

I looked away, not needing to thing of the question, but of the answer. I knew the truth, I just had no idea if telling her would be the right move or not.

"No." I answered honestly. "No."

"Yes." she spoke the word almost immediately.

I nodded, understanding what this meant. Pete had to be dealt with. No matter what, I wasn't going to let him hurt her- or their kids- ever again.

"Rick." Jessie and I turned to see Pete coming in from the back, smiling falsely as he looked at the two of us. "What are you doing here?"

"Pete." Jessie, started.

But he ignored her, moving towards us. "What are you doing here?" he was getting angry, I could tell by the way he spoke.

Jessie walked forward to stand in between us then. "Listen to me."

Pete just continued to ignore her. "I'm gonna have to ask you to leave, Rick."

"No." Jessie stood her ground.

He finally looked at her then. "Excuse me?"

"You need to leave." she told him.

He stepped closer to her. "What are you talking about?"

"Just go, Pete."

Pete looked from Jessie to me and then back, his anger turning to rage, slowly but surely. "What have you been saying to each other? Huh? What have you been doing?!"

I stayed as calm as I could, ready to get control of the situation. "Pete, you and me are gonna leave now."

He walked up to me. "You come into my house-"

"Pete, you and me are leaving." I repeated.

"You're leaving right now. You think you're the law? You actually think you have a say in anything here?"

"Step back." I warned him as he got closer.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Someone who is trying not to kill you." I answered honestly, losing some of my calm.

Pete swung his fist then, Jessie yelled out. I ducked in time, seeing it coming, before I got back up and punched him instead. He recovered quickly and hit me in return.

"You wanna stop now!" I warned.

But he just pushed himself into me and against the wall, his hand going around my neck as mine went around his. "Come into my house!" he hit my head against the wall.

"Pete, stop it!" Jessie begged.

"This is my house!" he hit my head again.

"Pete, stop it!" Jessie begged again.

I grabbed a hold of Pete and used all my might to push him and myself away from the door before I backed us up. Not seeing where we were going, I caused us to tumble over some furniture as we started to really get into it, both of us not giving up now.

"No! Stop it!"

I got up and looked down at Pete. "Get up!"

He managed to get to his feet, but before he could make a move I charged at him. Both of us went flying through the front window and on to the porch before rolling down on to the grass and ending on the road.

**VPOV**

I sat in the wheelchair staring at my father and Pete with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Other's were crowded around looking on with horror as well as the two men fought. Dad was on top of Pete now, choking him, both of them bloody.

Pete rolled them over, taking dad's position as he began to choke dad instead. Moving quickly, Jessie went to pull her husband off. But he just reached back and hit her in the face, pushing her back. That got dad into action, hitting Pete and rolling them over again until he was on top once more.

"Dad! Dad!" I yelled.

Carl rushed forward. "Dad, get off him!" he tried to pull dad off, but dad just pushed him back.

"Stop. Stop it right now." Deanna ordered but dad didn't listen. "Damn it, Rick! I said stop!"

"Or what?" dad let go of Pete and pulled out a gun, aiming it at the people. "You gonna kick me out?"

"Put that gun down, Rick." Deanna told him, speaking carefully.

Breathing heavily, dad shook his head. "You still don't get it. None of you do!" he looked to all the Alexandians. "We know what needs to be done and we do it. We're the ones who live." he pointed the gun at Deanna. "You, you just sit and plan and hesitate. You pretend like you know when you don't. You wish things weren't what they are. Well, you want to live? You want this place to stay standing? Your way of doing things is done. Things don't get better because you want them to. Starting right now, we have to live in the real world. We have to control who lives here."

"That's never been more clear to me than it is right now." Deanna said with a flat tone.

"Me? Me? You..." dad laughed. "You mean me? Your way is gonna destroy this place. It's gonne get people killed. It's already gotten people killed. And I'm not gonna stand by and just let it happen. If you don't fight, you die. I'm not gonna stand by-"

Michonne cut dad off with a hard punch to the head, knocking him out in an instant. The silence that followed had me wondering what was in store for us now, because if we were still allowed to stay here I would be completely shocked...

**  
**

**Chapter 25**

**A Tragic Ending and a New Beginning**

**RPOV**

I woke up and instantly knew three things. One, I was not in my home. Two, my head hurt. And three, I'd upset a lot of people yesterday which meant I was in some trouble...

Sitting up I sighed as I looked around the empty bare room I was in. I'd been put on a mattress on the ground with some pillows after someone must have patched me up- hence all the bandages and such.

I couldn't help but be reminded of another time when I'd been rounded up and put away... the thought made me chuckle before I groaned and laid back down.

"What's so funny?" Michonne's voice asked.

I looked over into a corner, seeing her sitting there watching me. I hadn't noticed her before... "You were here the whole time?"

She nodded. "All night." she answered before asking again. "What's so funny?"

I sat up once more with a sigh. "It's like the train car. After the whole thing, I'm still there."

"Deanna wanted you in here. Calm things down." she explained. "Rosita patched you up. Carl came by for a while. I sent him home. Aly and Vickie wanted to come too, but I told Aly it was best she wait. And well, Vickie's in no shape to be worrying about you." she gave me a pointed look. She stood up then and moved her chair closer before sitting again. "Rick." she sighed. "What are you doing?" when I didn't answer she went on. "We put Pete in another house. You could have told me what was happening.

"It moved fast." I told her. "And then Noah." I shrugged. "I couldn't tell you about the gun."

She shook her head. "No, you couldn't." something was telling me she was being sarcastic.

"Oh, you wanted this place." I reminded her.

"We had to stop being out there."

I looked around the room. "Well, we're here."

She just scoffed. "Well, you just said you weren't." we shared a look for a moment before the front door to the house opened.

Carol, Glenn and Abraham walked in.

"Where'd you get the gun?" Michonne asked me.

"You took it, right?" Carol asked, covering her tracks. "From the armoury?" she looked at me, pausing a moment before shaking her head. "That was stupid. Why did you do it?"

Knowing I couldn't out her, I shrugged, playing along. "Just in case."

"Deanna's planning to have a meeting tonight. For anyone who want to." Glenn informed us.

"To kick Rick out?" Abraham asked.

"To try." Carol spoke.

Glenn shook his head. "We don't know that. Maggie's with Deanna right now. She's gonna find out what it is."

"At the meeting, you say you were worried about someone being abused, and no one was doing anything about it." Carol started. "You say you took a gun just to be sure that Jessie was safe from a man who wound up attacking you. You say you'll do whatever you want them to. Just tell them a story that they want to hear. It's what I've been doing since I got here."

"Why?" Michonne asked.

"Because these people are children and children like stories." Carol answered simply.

"What happens after all the nice words and they still they to kick us out?" Abraham had a good point.

"They're guarding the armoury now." Glenn told us.

"We still have knives." Carol pointed out. "That's all we'll need against them."

I gave a short nod. "Well, tonight at the meeting, if it looks like it's going bad, I whistle. Carol grabs Deanna, I take Spencer, you grab Reg." I nodded to Michonne before going on. "Glenn and Abraham cover us, watch the crowd."

"We can talk to them." Michonne insisted.

"Yeah, we will." I assured her. "If we can't get through, we take the three of them and say we'll slit their throats."

"Like at Terminus?" Glenn asked, seeming to not like the plan.

I shook my head. "No, we just tell 'em. They give us the armoury and it's over." I finished.

Glenn looked at me with disappointment. "Did you want this?"

"No." I answered. "I hit my limit. I- I screwed up." I admitted with a sigh. "And here we are." I shrugged. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm just gonna sleep some more." I told them as I moved to lay down and roll back on to my side as I listened to all four of them leave.

**DPOV**

"Somebody came through here awhile ago." I told Aaron as we walked through the trees of he woods, still looking for people.

It'd been two days now and I couldn't deny the fact I missed Vic and Aly. I knew that would happen, it wasn't the first time. But what was odd was how it made me feel. I wanted to be with them. I wanted to make sure they were alright. I still didn't even know how the run Vic went on was. I had no idea if she, or everyone else, got back safely. That thought alone was enough to have my worry increase a whole lot.

Aaron, who clearly had no idea how I was feeling, spoke up. "If we see them, we hang back, set up the mic, watch, and listen."

"For how long?" I just wanted to go back...

"Until we know." he answered. "We have to know."

By the tone of his voice, I could tell there was something up. "You've sent people away?"

"Yeah." he answered.

"What happened?"

"It was early on. It was three people. Two men and a woman. Davidson was their as hell, strong. I thought they'd work out. They didn't. I brought them in and I had to see them out. So me, Aiden, and Nicholas, we drove them out, far. Gave the a day's worth of food and water and left them."

Listening to him talk I'd kept tracking as he followed behind me. I'd taken it all in, not missing the part where I'd figured out the fact that if I brought people in and they had to leave I'd be the one to send them off.

I also didn't miss the part where he didn't mention them putting up a fight...

"They just went?"

"We had their guns." he admitted. "We had all the guns." he sighed, stopping. "I can't make that kind of mistake again."

**RPOV**

Someone shaking my shoulder woke me up from my sleep. Looking over my shoulder I came face to face with Carol as she sat on the edge of my mattress. Sighing I rolled over and sat up so I could face her properly.

"It's good what happened last night." she started. "We have more cover now. All of them think you've been found out, that's it over." she handed me another gun.

I hesitated a moment as I watched her before finally taking it. "Why didn't you want to tell them we had more guns?"

"Michonne stopped you. She knocked you out."

"Well, I deserved it."

"Well, it was stupid."

"She's with us." I insisted. "Glenn is."

"I didn't tell them about the guns just in case."

I sighed. "I don't want to lie any more."

She just looked at me with amused eyes. "You said you don't want to take this place. And you don't want to lie?" she shook her head. "Oh, sunshine, you don't get both."

 

...

 

I walked through the front door of my house, finding Carl in the living room with Judith, Houdini and Aly.

"Dad." Carl stood, moving towards me.

Aly looked up and gave me a simple smile before she turned back to her dolls. I could tell in an instant that she'd been told not to bother me which is why she was staying quiet. Not that I would have minded if she'd said hi or anything. She was a sweet girl and as time went by, the more I got to know her the closer I was to calling her a granddaughter- seeing as she was a daughter to Vickie.

"Hey." I smiled lightly at Carl as he hugged me, my arm going around him in return.

"You okay?" he asked as he stepped back.

I nodded. "Yeah. Look, I'm sorry." I told him before taking a few steps to leave.

His voice stopped me as he spoke. "I heard about the meeting."

Stopping, I looked to him again. "You're staying home." was all I needed to say.

"That's what it is now, right? Home?" he gave a little grin.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"They need us. They'll die without us."

Sometimes it amazed me how Carl could be so kind yet so strong. I knew without a doubt that if it came to it my son could take care of himself. I'd seen it before. Walkers or humans, he'd fought and he will fight. But he wasn't a hard, empty shell. He was compassionate and understanding.

Here I was, willing to risk everyone's lives for the sake of my family's- not just blood related. Yet I stood in front of my son who was willing to help the same lives that meant very little to me. I could see in his eyes that he wanted to teach them and protect them, just like we had to with Aly and Judith.

Carol was right, these people were children. Maybe Lori was right, the world isn't meant for children anymore...

Sighing I moved back to him. "I might have to threaten one of them. I could have to kill one of them."

"You won't." he insisted.

"I might."

He just shook his head. "You have to tell them."

"Well, I told them last night." I reminded him.

"You have to tell them so they can hear you."

I understood what he meant, I just wasn't sure if it was possible."I don't know if they can." I told him. "Does that make you afraid?"

He shook his head. "Just for them. You have to tell them."

Seeing that he needed this from me, I nodded, willing to at least give it ago. But if it didn't work, the plan was still in motion. If these people weren't willing to learn, then we'd just have to take everything from them.

I nodded, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I'll do what I can." looking to the stairs I asked, "Your sister in her room?"

He shook his head. "She's in the garage." the look on his face told me he wasn't happy about that.

Frowning I took my hand off his shoulder and started for the laundry. Once inside I turned to the door that was connected to the garage, opening it and looking in. Sure enough Vickie was there, at the work bench with Daryl's red cloth, cleaning up...

"What are you doing?"

She jumped at the sound of my voice, turning to look at me with a hand to her chest. "Dad, you scared me half to death."

Walking into the garage I repeated myself. "What are you doing?"

She shrugged before getting back to what she'd been doing. "Cleaning. I want everything to be nice for Daryl when he gets back." she answered.

I shook my head. "Two days ago you nearly died. Yesterday you were bedridden- and I think I saw you in a wheelchair. Do you really think moving about and cleaning up is the best thing for you right now?"

"Nope." she answered honestly.

I frowned, not understanding. "Then why are you doing it?"

Sighing she stopped once more, resting her hands on the bench. "Because I can't sit in bed anymore. Not with everything that's happening." as she spoke she refused to look at me. "Noah is dead. Tara is in a coma. You're going crazy. And now theres a meeting." she laughed bitterly. "They're going to kick you to the curb right when our family is scattered all over the place."

I moved towards her. "Vickie-"

She cut me off as her head snapped to look at me with a deathly glare. "I have a little girl in there depending on me. I am in no shape to be out in the wild yet. And I can't leave anyone I love behind."

"You won't have to." I insisted, seeing the pain- both physical and emotional- in her eyes.

She laughed again. "How can you say that? If they kick you out, I can't let you go alone. But I will not leave without Daryl." I noticed her finger were fidgeting, and when I looked down I saw a ring on her ring finger. She continued on. "I will do  _anything_  to keep my family together. But if you screw this up, I don't know if I'll be able to forgive you."

I blinked, eyes wide as I watched my daughter standing before me, eyes ablaze with a strength I never knew she had. Just like Carl, she was both gentle and tough. And just like Carl, she hadn't started that way.

Vickie was just an ordinary girl when the world fell apart. She'd secretly learnt how to shoot a gun before hand but other than that she wasn't the fighting type. I remember how the group would always make sure she was close by and not wondering off- once again, just like her brother. Daryl had been kind enough to take care of her, which is how their relationship started. But now she was one of strongest most capable people.

The eight months she was on her own Vickie went from a girl, to a woman. She could do things none of us would ever be able to do. She was stealthy, and smart, and willing to do whatever it takes. I'd seen her in action, I'd seen her take down enemies- both living and dead- and I'd seen her stand her ground. She wasn't the kind of person who easily broke.

But she wasn't just this warrior woman, she was also the sweet girl I'd brought up. She'd always had a love for children, which is why she wanted to be a teacher before the world fell apart. She'd shown her compassion with Carl, Sophia, Judith, Aly and all the other children we'd come across. Not only that, she was patient and understanding when it came to others. The elderly, the sick, the weak. No matter who it was, Vickie allowed herself to care and protect other's when they deserved it.

So seeing her standing here clearly telling me that if our group- our family- ended up back in the wild, she wasn't going to put up a fight with Alexandria. No, she was going to put the blame on me, because it would've been my fault they'd kicked us out.

Yeah, seeing her like that had me feeling proud, guilty and wondering what my next step should be.

"I love you dad. I do. But I'm not a little girl anymore. I don't need my dad taking care of me. I have my own family.  _I_  have to protect _them_ , and nothing's going to stop me from doing what's best for them."

"I don't know how to change their minds." I admitted.

The tension in her body relaxed a little as she sighed. "Don't be the monster they think you are." she gave me a little smile. "Be the hero I  _know_  you can be."

**DPOV**

"We checked the forest, we checked the roads, we can't find him." Aaron spoke as I looked through the pair of binoculars we'd brought with us. "All right, sometimes they slip away. It happens. But you don't some across something like this every day."

We both looked at the four trucks parked in the lot in front of us. They were canned fruit delivery trucks, and they appeared to be untouched. The few walkers that were moving about the empty lot must have been enough to turn other's way from the find. But I could see they wouldn't be much trouble for Aaron and myself.

"We do this now, it means we're giving up." I noted.

"Home is fifty miles back. It's time to go."

I agreed with him, I really did. There was nothing I wanted more than to go home and be with Vic. I missed her, and being out here was, away from her like this, was not sitting right with me. But I didn't want these two days to have been for nothing.

He went on. "You saw last night. There's bad people out here."

"That's why we ought to keep looking for the good ones."

"We need more people and we'll find them. But when we do, we'll need to feed them." he had a good point.

"All right." I nodded as I pulled my knife out. Tapping it against the metal of the gate I waited for the walkers to move our way.

 

...

 

Walking between two of the trucks, we headed for their doors. I just wanted to get the cans a go. The faster we got home, the faster I could see Vic and get rid pf the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that was telling me there was something wrong...

"Whoa." Aaron got to the ground as he gestured to one of the trucks number plates, chuckling. "Wasn't sure I'd ever see one of these." he grinned as he pointed to the word Alaska. Letting him do what he wanted I looked at the other trucks as he continued to talk. "Hey, listen, I don't like giving up either, but the guy is in a red poncho. You can see him from a mile away. You know, we've gone a lot of miles here. No sign of him. But if we come away with a trailer full of cans, I'd say that's a good trip."

moving to meet him at another truck I gestured to it's leaver. All the others had been broken, but this was intact. "Here we go." I grunted, getting to the ground before pulling the lever up.

It all happened so fast. One moment we were standing there, ready to get some food and go home. The next all the doors to the trucks opened revealing walkers hanging from the roofs, and others walking out and coming after us.

Aaron and I moved as fast as we could, trying to get away from the walkers. But as we moved to the end of the trucks to head back the way we came, we saw one of the trucks had opened at this end, causing walkers to fill the lot and close us in.

I pulled out my knife and killed one as Aaron used the number plate he'd grabbed. But there was no way we could kill this many.

"Over here!" he called me over.

I followed as he moved us back to the trucks. Seeing walkers coming from everywhere I grabbed his jacket and got to the ground.

"Come on!" I yelled as we scurried under one of the trucks.

But it was no use. Walkers were coming from everywhere, determined to get us as they followed us to the ground and under the truck.

Moving fast I grabbed the chain that sat on the ground and moved to the other side of the truck were there weren't as many walkers. Aaron was still close behind, struggling to keep the backpack on his back.

I used the chain as a whip and killed the three walkers that stood in front of us before I grabbed my crossbow off the ground again. Once I turned I could see another holding Aaron against the truck. With a quick stab to the head I killed her.

Moving fast- backpack now forgotten- Aaron followed me as I lead as to the nearest safe spot I could see... a car abandoned in the middle of the lot and in the middle of the herd.

"Come on! Go!" I called to Aaron as I climbed inside.

He was close behind, getting in and moving to close the door.

A walker moved in the way of the door, but Aaron still tried to close it, causing the walker's head to burst and get in the way even more. Though Aaron fixed it by opening the door and letting the remains fall to the ground before he then managed to finally close the door.

Breathing heavily I looked at all the walkers surrounding us outside of the car...

"Glass will hold for awhile, right?" Aaron asked.

"Maybe." I answered honestly. "Maybe we can make it so they can't see us." I suggested. "In a couple of hourse, something will come by, they'll follow it out. There's got to be something in here we can use to block the view. We can cut up these seats." I told him as I turned in my seat to look in the back.

As I turned back I noticed a piece of paper in his hands. Reading it I froze.

_TRAP. BAD PEOPLE COMING. DON'T STAY._

Aaron turned to me, both of us sharing a look. We both knew at that moment that waiting for something else to come along to scare the walkers off, wasn't the best idea after all.

**RPOV**

I walked up the steps towards Jessie's house, seeing her trying to cover the broken window from yesterday with a blanket.

Once she looked up at me, she sighed. "You should go."

"I just wanted to check on you." I told her, coming to a stop. I nodded to her face. "Your eye."

"He did it right when it was happening. It wasn't you." she assured me before pausing a moment and then going on. "People shouldn't see us talking right now."

"I'm not sorry I did it. No matter what happens or what I have to do." I told her before turning to leave.

Right before I could go, she spoke again. "Don't turn around, Rick. You were right" was all she said.

I knew that was the end of the conversation, and so I continued to leave, heading back home.

**DPOV**

Shaking my head, I chuckled lightly to myself.

"What?" Aaron turned to me.

I shook my head. "I came out here to not feel all closed up back there. Even now, still feels more like me than back in them houses. That's pretty messed up, huh?"

I didn't feel the need to mention the fact that being with Vic was when I felt right. Completely right. But it didn't matter where the two of us were, just as long as we're together. Keeping that in mind, I prefered to be outside... It was easier to survive when you had an idea of what to expect. Being with people back at the town, I didn't know what was heading our way.

"You were trying." he noted.

I shrugged. "I had to."

"No, you didn't." he shook his head. "Listen, when I saw you with your group out there on the road, then you went off on your own by the barn, then you and Victoria... I heard what she said. I'd seen how the two of you were together before that, I could tell something was off. But when she told you what had happened, you cared for her. You love her. And then the storm hit and you led your people to safety, that was it." he nodded. "I knew I had to bring you people back." he went on. "You were right. We should have kept looking for that guy in the poncho. I shouldn't have given up. You didn't."

Listening to him I couldn't help but feel a sense of responsibility land on my shoulders. He had a life and people who cared about him. Sure I did too, but one of us had to step up here.

I put a smoke in between my lips. "I'll go. I'll lead them out. You make a break for the fence." I told him before lighting my smoke.

"No, no, no, this was my fault. And I could never let you do that when Victoria and Alyssa are waiting for you back home."

I shook my head. "Wasn't a question. And this ain't your decision. It ain't nobody's fault. Just let me finish my smoke first."

"No, you don't draw them away. We fight. We go for the fence. We do it together, all right? Whether we make it or not, we do it together. We have to."

Looking at him, seeing the determination and the fact there was no chance of changing his mind, I nodded.

"All right." I took the smoke out of my lips. "You ready?"

"Yeah." he nodded before getting ready to go as I did the same.

"We'll go on three." I told him.

"Okay."

"One, two-"

Before I could finish the end of something wooden came through one of the walker's head as it stood by Aaron's door. The both of us froze for just a moment as confusion settled between us. Was this help? Or were the bad people already here?

The door opened and before we could really thinking about what we were doing, me started to move, crawling out of the car.

Outside stood a man with a long stick, which he used to fight of the walkers that still surrounded us. I stabbed others, while Aaron used his machette. When there was a path for us to use, we made a run for it, heading for the gate, not stopping until we were safe. As son as the three of us were out, we closed the gate behind us, locking the walkers in.

"That was..." Aaron smiled. "Oh. Thank you." the man simply nodded before Aaron went on. "Uh, I'm Aaron, this is Daryl."

"Morgan."

"Why?" I asked, having no idea why someone would help out strangers in a situation like what we'd been in.

"Why?" Morgan chuckled lightly. "Because all life is precious, Daryl."

"Whoever set that trap, they're coming." Aaron started. "But I have good news. We, uh... we do. We have, uh, a community not too far from here. Walls, electrictiy, it's safe. If you'd like to come join us-"

Morgan cut him off. "I thank you. But I'm on my way somewhere. Fact is, I'm lost. So if you could ell me where we are." he puled out a map, offering it to me.

Unfolding it I found something written in the corner which caught my attention.

 _SORRY I WAS AN ASSHOLE. COME TO WASHINGTON. THE NEW WORLD'S GONNA NEED RICK GRIMES_.

Looking back at Morgan I wondered...

**RPOV**

I sat at the end of my bed, thinking about my options and what I should do. I could feel the pressure I was under. There was a lot peolpe were expecting me to do and I had no idea how to do it, or if I could...

"Rick... you ready?" Michonne asked from the door way.

"Carol, Daryl, Vickie, and me, we worked it out together. Carol took four guns from the armoury. I still have one, she still has two." I sighed. "We lied to you because I wasn't sure how you'd take it, what you'd do." I offered her the gun.

She threw her jacket on to the bed. "You'd think I'd try to stop you?"

I lowered the gun. "Well, you did hit me over the head."

"That was for you, not them."

Standing I moved until I was in front of her. "I was afraid you'd talk me out of it. You could've."

"We don't need them here." she gestured to the gun. "I don't need my sword. I think you can find a way.  _We_  can find a way. And if we don't, I'm still with you." she smiled lightly. "Something's gonna happen. Just don't  _make_  something happen."

Nodding, I offered her the gun again. But she simply shook her head and pushed it back to me. I knew then, she was giving me the choice, instead of taking it away from me.

"Don't be too long." she told me as she walked out.

I sat back down on the bed, thinking about a lot of things, but mostly what Bob had told me about this world being a nightmare...

Standing I looked out the window as I kept thinking. Only something seemed to catch my eye... something deffinatly not good.

 

...

 

I rushed towards the gate, seeing it open. There was no one on guard. In fact there was no one in sight. I had no idea how long it had been open, and I had no idea if anyone or any _thing_  had gotten inside...

Turning back to the latch I found blood and skin caught on it. Something had gotten in. Not someone. Some _thing._

Seeing a trail of blood drops on the ground I started to follow it- not before closing the gate and latching it- knowing that I found to find the walker before it found someone who wasn't capable of taking care of themselves.

**CPOV**

I sat in the living room with Aly, Houdini and Vickie. We were in the middle of playing a board game.

The meeting had started, and as much as I'd wanted to join everyone, I knew listening to dad and staying home was the righ decision. Vickie hadn't been interested in going. Not when she was still healing. Not when she wasn't sure if she could keep her cool and not snap at everyone who wanted dad and the rest of us gone.

So here we were, the two of us playing monopoly while Aly brushed Houdini's fur. It was a simple and sweet moment between the three of us. Judith was asleep upstairs in her room, her sleeping form displayed on the baby monitor screen by the board game.

"You think she'll keep dad's blue eyes?" I asked out of nowhere.

Vickie looked to the screen before she looked to me. "Do you remember what mum looks like?"

"Yes and no. I remember her, but there's somethings I can't. I don't remember her voice. But I remember the way she smelt. I can remember her hugs and kisses... but when I think about her face, it changes every time."

She nodded. "She was beautiful. With a smile that lit up the room. But when she got mad, or disappointed, she had this look in her eyes that felt like she was freezing your insides. Her laugh." she shook her head. "It was so infectious. You just couldn't help but laugh back. And it made these little crinkles show up in the corner of her eyes as she beamed happily..."

"You miss her." I noted.

"Everyday." Vickie admitted. "I miss everyone from our old lives. But I'm thankful for the new family we have and people we've met."

Houdini lifted his head at that moment growling lightly as he faced towards the stairs.

Vickie put the dice down instead of rolling them as she looked in the same direction as her dog. "You know if anyone's home next door?" she asked me.

I shook my head. "Everyone should be at the meeting..."

Houdini got up and rushed towards the laundry, disappearing behind the corner. The sound of him barking had all three of us looking up now.

"Stay here, and stay together." Vickie told Aly and me as she got up from the couch and followed the dog.

**RPOV**

I followed the sound of a dog barking, which lead me to my house... I knew in an instant that it was Houdini and that he was trying to warn someone one about something. My guess was that the walkers had made their way up here. And it turned out my guess was right.

Houdini stood at the glass back door in the laundry, barking his head off. I looked around in the dark, trying to see if I could find the walker, but of course it found me first.

The walker threw itself on me snarling and snapping it's teeth.

"Dad!"

Before I could even react, the blade of a knife went through the skull of the walker. Now dead, the walker fell to the ground.

Standing there, knife now in hand, Vickie looked to me with wide eyes and out of breath. "You okay?" she asked.

I gave a short nod, but was unable to say anything before another walker came out from the shadows. There was no need to talk then. Vickie and I went back to back as a few more walkers came out. The two of us were ready. And honestly, I felt more alive now then I had since coming here...

**VPOV**

Dad dropped the walker in front of the gathered people for the meeting. The two of us were a sight for sore eyes. Covered in blood, sweat and guts. But I didn't care.

I'd been mad. Everyone wanted dad gone because of what he did, and I'd been stupid enough to think they had that right. But they weren't right. We were accepted into Alexandria, they chose us, and now they were stuck with us.

If anything that was a blessing, not a curse, because dad was right. He'd told Daryl, Carol and myself that these people had been lucky, and that their luck would run out. When that time came these people were going to helpless and hopeless. There was no way they'd survive an attack. They were sitting ducks. Having us here, that gave them a chance. We could protect them. Teach them, even. We were what people should be like nowdays. We were the real kind of civilization... not these cocktail party and easy life people. We knew how to get things done, how to stay alive. We're the future.

Dad looked to the people as they all watched us with frightened eyes. "There wasn't a guard on the gate. It was open."

"I asked Gabriel to close it." Spencer told his mother.

Deanna looked to him. "Go!" that one word was enough for her son to rush off.

"I didn't bring it in." dad went on. "It got inside on its own. They always will, the dead and the living, because we're in here. And the ones out there, they'll hunt us. They'll find us. They'll try to use us. They'll try to kill us. But we'll kill them. We'll survive. I'll show you how." he turned to Deanna as he kept talking to everyone. "You know, I was thinking... I was thinking how many of you do I have to kill to save your lives? But I'm not gonna do that. You're gonna change. I'm not sorry for what I said last night. I'm sorry for not saying it sooner. You're not ready, but you have to be. Right now, you have to be. Luck runs out."

"You're not one of us." we all turned to see Pete walking in with Michonne's sword. "You're not one of us!" he limped towards dad.

Reg stepped in his way. "Pete, you don't want to do this."

"Get the hell away from me, Reg."

"Pete, just stop."

"Get away from me."

"Reg." Deanna warned her husband. "Reg."

But he wouldn't give up. "Pete, just stop."

I have no idea how it really happened. It was kinda of sudden. Everything just happened so fast. One moment Reg was standing in front of Pete, trying to get him to go. Then he was suddenly on the ground, throat sliced.

Everyone was in shock, some recovering almost in an instant.

Michonne and Abraham grabbed Pete and held him back as Deanna knelt on the floor with her husband in her lap as she cried for him.

"This is him!" Pete yelled. "This is him!"

"No! My love!" Deanna cried.

"It's him! This is him!"

It was as if dad was frozen, knowing what had to be done but waiting for someone else to tell him.

"Rick." Deanna looked away from her husband and up at my dad. "Do it."

That was all he needed.

Pulling out a gun dad took a single step towards Pete, aimed the gun, and shot. He killed him in an instant.

I stepped toward Deanna, pulling my knife out. Reg was almost gone and in a lot of pain. I knew he needed to be dealt with, but that she couldn't do it just yet.

"Let me do this." I told her. Nodding she moved away, a woman coming over to help her as I crouched down by Reg's side. "I'm sorry." I whispered before stabbing him in the temple, right into the brain, my blade going as deep as it could.

People gasped and looked away, having seen both my dad and I just kill people with barely a second thought.

"Rick?"

We all looked up again, turning to the entryway dad, myself and then Pete had come through. Standing there was a man I did not know with Aaron, and Daryl. I could tell dad and the stranger knew each other, but at that moment I didn't care. All I cared about was the look Daryl was giving me.

As I stood I remembered my wound and the pain came back to me now that my adrenaline was gone. Wincing I just stood there looking into the eyes of the man I loved. I could only imagined what he could see. Covered in blood and guts, bloodied knife in hand, having just put someone out of their misery, hair and clothes a mess, wincing in pain. It was no wonder his eyes were full of worry... and even fear...

 

**The End…**

 

**Bamby**


End file.
